Aladdin With a Sprig of Gravitation
by Raita Amaya
Summary: It's a Whole New World with the cast of Gravitation! Yuki's always wanted to be more than just a streetrat, but he gets more than he bargained for when he meets an intriguing prince and an insane genie.
1. Chapter 1

The Spiffy Spoofer does not own Aladdin or Gravitation. They both belong to their respectful owners…so don't sue or I'm going to have to re-instate the complaint department. *points to scary looking stick*.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for…

_**Aladdin**_**…**_**With a Sprig of Gravitation**_

Presented by the one and only Spiffy Spoofer!

9/17/2010 - I fixed the first chapter, as in I replaced the song with the format I used in "Prince Eiri". I also rewrote the intro. Peace out peeps.

* * *

"Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam…" a man sang, half walking, half dancing, through the streets of Agrabah.

It was dark enough that most people had left the streets for the safety of their homes, and the only building still lit up was the palace.

"HEY! A person! A kid!" the man shrieked, seeing a man walking toward him from the city's marketplace. He was used to being alone at this time of night, and he was thrilled to find another streetwalker to bother. "You want to be friends? Kuma and I always need new friends…"

"No, that's alright. I need to be getting home." the kid answered, adjusting his vest. "And I'm not a kid, I'm sixteen."

"Ah, that's too bad. Are you sure?"

"Yes…please leave me alone." the younger one replied, a little uneasy about who he'd just run into. He kept looking at his stuffed rabbit like he expected it to talk as well.

"Please?"

"No…I need to get going. Now." the accosted teen said, trying to hold his own. "I'm tired."

"OH! You need a bedtime story!" the bunny advocate sang out, clapping his hands and jumping up and down.

"For the love of…"

"LISTEN! It's a story about a…a…some kind of gem in the ruff."

"If I listen to your story, will you let me go?" the boy asked, a little scared. There was a strange glint in the older man's eyes, and he was feeling more than a little overwhelmed.

"YEP! My name's Ryuichi! And this is Kuma!"

"Fine…and I'm Suguru." Suguru muttered, sighing heavily and leaning against a wall.

* * *

The stars shone down to illuminate a not-so-dark man astride a horse, a lime green feather boa around his neck. Covering his torso was a stylish sleeved satin shirt. Over the fine shirt was a velvety vest adorned with rope braiding. A brilliant green parrot was nestled in between the feathers of the boa, his maroon tail clearly showing. The man was the royal vizier of Agrabah, a man that was to be feared. The affair that had led him to the middle of the desert at this time of night was unknown to all but himself and the Sultana, Mika.

There was an ongoing, but entirely secret, affair between the royal vizier and the Sultana. The two had plans to rule Agrabah. But, Agrabanian law prevented the Sultana from re-marrying until all the royal children were spoken for. Even though the current prince was not her blood child, she had to find someone for him first. The object, a lamp, that Tohma had been sent after could help with this. If Tohma failed to get the lamp, his head would be up for grabs by Mika. She was truly a woman to be scared of. One look could melt a glacier, her words cut like daggers.

The object was a lamp of magical proportions. It would grant its owner three wishes. The Sultana planned to use one on the prince's marriage, one on her own marriage, and then the third…well that was undecided. World domination was in the top three.

"I hope Mika-san is right about this…" muttered the man to his parrot. "But, then again, she's never wrong."

"Heh…she's always wrong." answered the parrot haughtily. He and the Sultana had never gotten along. "Especially on topics concerning food…"

"Knock it off, Caspian." said the man in response. (A/N: Caspian is the name of my own parrot. He's a green-cheek conure with an attitude.) "The Cheezits aren't that bad."

"Says you." muttered Caspian moodily as he made his way to the other shoulder. "Why can't we just go home Tohma? I'm tired of waiting out here."

"Be quiet! We have to wait for the thief." said Tohma in frustration. "You didn't have to come along so stop complaining."

"I'm here…" came a voice out of the darkness.

"You're late…" said Caspian, mimicking Tohma's voice.

"Caspian!" warned Tohma. "You're late."

"My apologies."

"Well? Do you have it?"

"Yes…I had to kill some people…" replied the thief, trying to sound tough. And failing. "But I have it."

"Good. Give it to me."

"No! I want my treasure first!"

"Caspian."

"Victory is mine!" shouted Caspian as he dove off of Tohma's shoulder and grabbed the object from the thief.

"Give it here, Caspian."

"No. I think I'll keep it…"

"Caspian!"

"Fine, fine…" said the parrot in defeat. He hated giving up so easily, but he knew he had to behave in front of strangers or Tohma would cut him off from the donuts.

"Finally." Tohma said, practically aquiver with anticipation. "It is time."

With that, Tohma put his shiny object against the thief's. They glowed for a few seconds before joining together with a loud bang and catapulting off into the distance. Tohma could see their glow trailing over the sand dunes.

"After them!" shouted Tohma, attempting a stylish takeoff on his horse and instead falling ungracefully from its back. The steed sped towards Agrabah, clearly finished with the proceedings. Tohma ran after his henchman, trying to keep the sand off of his boa. "Quickly!"

The trio came upon the objects settling themselves into a mound of sand in the distance. All of a sudden, the sands started shifting and a magnificently odd cave rose out of the ground.

"At last…the Cave of Random Objects!" said Tohma gleefully.

"What devilry is this?" asked the thief, pondering the arrival of the cave.

"Go on. Go inside." ordered Tohma. "You'll have your treasure."

Before the thief could enter, the cave addressed the strange trio.

"Only one may enter here. A golden sapphire in the rough." it bellowed, its voice echoing through the still desert night.

"Go on, go on! Get the lamp!" Tohma said, a tiny bit frightened by the cave. This was a business trip, however, and he refused to show any sign of fear. Especially in front of the insolent parrot, which had happened more times than he cared to admit. "Be a man and get in there!"

"Fine." said the thief, stepping into the mouth of the cave. "Like to see you do it…" he added under his breath.

The sand beneath Tohma and Caspian shifted uncomfortably, betraying the cave's intent. The thief cast a startled glace over his shoulder as he too felt the sand move, but before he could comprehend what was happening, let alone save himself, the cave swallowed him whole. As its mouth closed over the screaming crony, it began to sink into the sands below. Before submerging completely, a wooden yoyo was catapulted out and smacked Tohma in the forehead. A bottle of vinegar sailed after it and knocked Caspian off of Tohma's shoulder.

"Well…that's that. I guess he wasn't the one." said Tohma, rubbing his head where the yo-yo had struck him.

"Really? I had no idea. Never would have expected that one, Tohma, or should I say Captain Obvious? Call an ambulance, check my pulse, I might have just died from shock." answered Caspian, shaking sand from his green feathers. "I hate sand! It gets everywhere! How the hell am I supposed to stay clean out here?"

"Oh, shut up."

"You shut up! I'm molting! Do you know what molting's like? It's not fun!"

"Caspian!"

"Tohma!"

"Caspian! I'm warning you!"

"No, I'm warning you!"

"You dumb animal!"

"You dumb…dumb…mammal!"

The bickering continued all the way back to Agrabah. But, Tohma had a plan. He would find this golden sapphire, and everything would go smoothly. Within the week, he'd have everything he'd ever wanted.

* * *

"Get him!" screamed Tatsuha to his guards. "Don't let either of them escape this time!"

"Yes sir!" answered the pack of guards that were running after two men, a rabbit, and a loaf of bread.

"Ryuichi! Would you stop all of the antics already!" yelled the taller of the two men as he slowed to a walk and slipped behind some barrels. He wore tattered clothes that still barely clung to once-achieved finery. The top was a linen shirt with a plunging square neck bordered with faded ribbon. The pants were plain linen that matched the dark green of the ribbon. His golden eyes set the entire outfit off, blending with his melted sunshine hair.

"Yuki, Kuma-chan and I can handle them!" said the other man in reply, swinging into a supposedly open window. He was a shorter man with brown hair and ocean blue eyes. He wore only a vest over his torso. The vest had once been light blue in color, but was very faded. The pants were cropped on the bottom and more fitted than normal. They were darker blue in color with a loose golden sash around the waist that had lost its seaming. Kuma was a pink rabbit. And he had a red bowtie. "Ummph!"

The window was nowhere near as friendly as Ryuichi had presumed; it was closed. The man ran face first into the barricaded window and slipped, dropping the stolen bread. Yuki had been watching him closely, and moved out from behind his barrels to catch the falling bread.

"Get moving, you idiot!" ordered Yuki as he calmly walked down the street, the bread tucked haphazardly under his arm.

"Gotta keep...one jump ahead of the breadline, one swing ahead of the sword. I steal only what I can't afford, and that's everything!" Ryuichi quipped in response, warming up for his morning vocal routine, and completely ignoring Yuki's usual orders.

"Get him!" one of the guards shouted, unsheathing his sword and leading his charging comrades after Ryuichi. They rushed past Yuki, who had ducked behind a large potted plant, screaming like a pack of rabid baboons.

"Run, Kuma!" Ryuichi squalled dramatically, playing with the guards. He hugged Kuma to his chest and dashed around the corner. "Uh oh…"

Ryuichi had misjudged his turn and cornered himself in an alley. Yuki was nowhere to be seen, and he could hear the guards thundering footsteps. He squeezed Kuma and took a deep breath, getting ready for whatever would happen next. The guards were usually more than inept, and he felt pretty confident that he could handle them, cornered or not.

"We got him boys!" the leader called out, taking a violent swing at Ryuichi, who warded off the blow and darted through the guard's legs.

"Better luck next time!" Ryuichi chirped, smashing a few barrels of assorted food stuffs and tripping up the remainder of the guards. He scaled one of the walls and dropped back in to the main street, noticing Yuki's shape disappearing around a corner up ahead, bread still intact. He cleared his throat and kept going with his song, starting to really enjoy himself. "One jump ahead of the lawmen, that's all, and that's no joke. These guys don't appreciate I'm broke!"

He leaned against a wall and waited for the guards echoing yells and taunts to reach him. When they were close enough for him to hear their labored breathing, he pushed off of the wall and made a break for one of his favorite midnight haunts. In one of the main alleyways, there was a large stack of barrels that the marketplace vendors shared. He climbed to the top like a deft monkey and put a hand over Kuma's mouth to keep him quiet for their surprise. They hadn't used this tactic for a while, and he was sure that the guards were pining for it secretly.

The guards paused in the main street, wondering where the thief had run off to, unable to hear any cackling or one-sided rabbit related conversations.

"He's in there…" one the merchants hissed, having been robbed by Ryuichi accidentally and purposefully several times in the past.

"Right." one of the guards replied, nodding vigorously and signaling to his comrades to follow.

"Here they come…" Ryuichi whispered to Kuma, trying to keep calm. He knew that he needed to wait for the guards to start climbing up after him, but he'd had one too many pastries from an unsuspecting cart that morning, and the sugar rush was getting to him. "Can't…sit…still…"

With that, Ryuichi let out a war whoop and jumped on top of a precariously perched barrel, careening down the stack and out of the alley, taking guards out right and left. In the street, Yuki rolled his eyes and kept walking, starting to wonder if Ryuichi was worth the trouble.

"Ryuichi! Wrap it up!" Yuki shouted, vanishing into some shadows to make sure that he wasn't the one that screwed them over. He hated being arrested, and he was already in a foul temper without adding unnecessary guard altercations to the pot.

"Ten four kemosabe!" Ryuichi replied, spotting a tall scaffold on the opposite side of the street, past the fruit vendor. "Ten four…"

"Ryuichi…" Yuki groaned to himself, shaking his head. He could see the scaffold too, and he knew exactly where Ryuichi was heading next. If he ever wanted to switch sides, he could have made a fortune capturing his friend for pissed off merchants and guards.

"Top of the world! Woo! Victo-" Ryuichi started yelling, thrilled with his new vantage point. He'd been intrigued by the scaffold, and had only realized the practicality of it once he'd attained the highest seat possible. From here he could see a wide array of possible jumps, and he felt secure enough to inform the world that he was the king of it. The guards, however, didn't quite agree with his grand vision. "HEY!"

"Riffraff! Street rat!" the guards shouted up at Ryuichi, vigorously shaking the supports of the platform while insulting their quarry. "Scoundrel! Take that!"

"Just a little snack, guys!" Ryuichi pleaded, trying to buy himself some time. He started dancing in place, unsure of his next move. While he wasted time with nervous jiving, the guards started hacking away at the poles supporting the scaffold, and one of them set fire to it. "FIRE! YUKI, FIRE!"

Yuki stayed where he was on the other side of the street, enjoying the spectacle. Sure, Ryuichi was useful when he was in the right mood, but Yuki wasn't entirely sure that he'd complain too much if his roommate was captured.

"Rip him open, take it back guys!" the guards answered, continuing their sinister chorus. The flames raced up the brittle and dry wood, making Ryuichi's panicked dance even more frantic.

"I can take a hint, gotta face the facts, you're my only friend, Kuma!" Ryuichi replied, bowing at the guards. As hopped in place in his frenzy to find a way out of the fire, he'd seen a grand opening. If he timed it just right, he'd get away unscathed and take out a hunter in one fell jump. He took a deep breath and plunged off of the platform, bouncing off of the head of one of his pursuers. He ran down the street and ducked into the nearest dark doorway, hoping that it would be a safe place to hide for the time being.

"Who?" a chorus of female voices snapped at Ryuichi, their owners having watched the exchange from their windows.

"YUKI!" Ryuichi screamed, unsure of what to do with himself. Yuki'd been here before, quite often, and Ryuichi was used to waiting outside, or at home. "Kuma, I'm scared…"

"Awww, he's so adorable!" one of the women cried out, picking up Ryuichi and rocking him. "You're Yuki's friend, right?"

"Yeah, that's him, and he doesn't have any money, put him down!" an older woman ordered, stomping down the stairs and grabbing a vicious looking broom. "You can't pay, you can't stay, get out!"

"Ryuichi, come on, jeez, do I have to do everything?" Yuki asked, having nearly killed himself to come to the rescue this time. When harem girls were involved, it was always in his best interest to be involved as well, even if it meant being dragged into Ryuichi's antics. He sighed in fake annoyance and snagged Ryuichi away from his admirer, intending to take to his place.

"Oh no you don't!" the proprietor yelled at Yuki, taking a swipe at him with the broom. "Get out, you lecherous street rat, shoo!"

"Oh, it's sad, Yuki and Ryu have hit the bottom, they've become a two-man rise in crime..." the girls chanted, realizing that they had to let their potential pet go. One of them reached out and patted Ryuichi's head, stuffing an apple into his shirt for a snack later.

"I'd blame parents, except they haven't got 'em!" the harem mother reprised, swinging the broom at Yuki again. He'd been there before, and he'd left one too many times without paying. Most of the girls had a soft spot for him, and were prone to helping him out when they thought she wasn't looking, or listening.

"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. Tell you all about it when I got the time!" Ryuichi sang at the girls, wondering if he'd get more food if he put on a show or visited later on, with or without Kuma. He'd heard the guards whispering at the back door anyway, and he didn't really want to get busted before he got to eat his apple. He tucked Kuma into his shirt and grabbed the back of Yuki's, dragging him out of the front door with more strength than he looked capable of. Yuki slapped his hand away and hurrumphed, stomping out of the harem and rubbing his head where the owner had whacked him with the deadly broom.

"One jump ahead of the slowpokes, one skip ahead of my doom. Next time gonna use a nom de plume. One jump ahead of the hit men, one hit ahead of the flock, I think I'll take a stroll around the block…" Ryuichi picked up again, waiting for Yuki to disappear into a new hiding spot. When he couldn't hear the pissy muttering anymore, he started skipping down the street, trying to lure out the guards. When they started giving chase he ducked behind a performer's stage and squatted down behind it, putting Kuma on top of his head for safekeeping.

"Where'd he go?" one of the guards asked frantically, spinning around in place. "We can't lose him, the captain will be upset…"

"Wait! There!" another guard shouted, attempting to spear Kuma with his sword. Ryuichi fell over backwards to avoid the blow and then grabbed Kuma, catapulting himself over the stage and past the guards. He started cackling maniacally and ran off down the street, waving Kuma wildly.

"Mmm hmm, can't touch this!" Ryuichi taunted, jumping up and kicking his heels. He ran towards the entertainment district to throw off the guards, and narrowly missed a spike bed gimmick. He leaped over it like a gazelle and tore through the area, trying desperately not to make eye contact with any shiny objects or fire.

"THERE HE IS! GET HIM!" the leader of the group of guards bellowed, charging after Ryuichi again. He miscalculated his footing and tripped over the edge of the spike bed, face-planting into it. He tried to pick himself up, but his fellows trampled him soundly before he could even move an inch. "Oww…"

Ryuichi didn't look back for fear that he would start giggling and crash into something, though the guard's screams were hilarious. He danced over a coal pit next, wondering if the guards would be stupid enough to try the same thing. He rounded the next corner and paused, listening for what would happen next. When he heard some sizzling noises and more screaming, he snickered and took off again, thoroughly enjoying himself. He skidded to a halt when a large jewelry display distracted him. He knew that he shouldn't stop and look, but he wasn't sure if he could help himself. He lost the fight rather quickly and grabbed a large pendant, admiring the way it reflected the sunlight so magically.

"Stop, thief!" a townsperson yelled out, having spotted Ryuichi.

"Vandal! Outrage! Scandal!" the melodramatic shopkeep shrieked, charging around her stand and swinging at Ryuichi. As long as he didn't steal anything, he was good for business. Every time he showed up, she could put on a show, and that drew people in, as this was the entertainment district. She swooned and took a quick peak over her shoulder to see how many potential customers were watching.

"Let's not be too hasty…" Ryuichi cooed, trying to smooth things over and carefully placing the necklace back on the table.

"You still haven't gotten him?" a tall man yelled, jogging around the corner and staring at his subordinates with an impatient expression.

"He's putting up a real fight today, sir!" one of the guards answered, pausing to salute the other man. "Sorry, captain."

"Captain…" Ryuichi murmured, giving the new arrival a startled glance. Tatsuha, the captain of the guards, was standing in the middle of the street with his hands on his hips, surveying the circus of the pursuit. "Better get this over with…"

Ryuichi spun around in circles, looking for a quick way out. Whenever Tatsuha got involved, things got hairy, and he wasn't looking to get snared that early in the morning. He stopped spinning long enough to see a door behind him, and he darted for it, pounding on it to see if it would hide him. He slunk into the shadowy doorway and crouched down, only moving when the owner of the house opened the door and scooped him up, overwhelmed by how adorable the small man and his cowering bunny were.

"Still I think he's rather tasty!" the woman exclaimed, rocking Ryuichi and Kuma in her arms. Yuki sighed, still hidden, and turned away, starting to feel ashamed of his cohort.

"AHH!" Ryuichi shrieked, terrified at being accosted in such a manner, and fought his way out using Kuma as a weapon. "You'll never take us alive!"

He made a mad dash for the door and flew out of it, focused on his escape. He careened out onto the street and looked both ways, trying to find Yuki. Instead, he found all the guards assembled outside the door, looking startled to see their prey emerging so readily. Ryuichi cleared his throat and dusted off Kuma, sauntering up to a few of the guards.

"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. Otherwise we'd get along!" Ryuichi sang out, throwing his arms around the guards' shoulders.

"WRONG!" the guards shouted in unison, shoving Ryuichi off and reaching for their swords. Ryuichi gulped and bolted, allergic to capture.

"Get him already!" Tatsuha shouted, unsheathing his sword and gesturing at Ryuichi with it. His men started running in all directions, unsure of where Ryuichi had jetted off to this time. "Damn…"

"I'm getting tired of this, Kuma…" Ryuichi whispered to his rabbit. He pulled up short in the middle of the street and waited for the guards to come get him. He'd used this trick a few times, and it was always fun. Yuki didn't approve, but Yuki wasn't there to stop him this time. "Hey guys! Over here!"

"Ryuichi, you idiot…" Yuki muttered, shaking his head. He was still creeping along in the shadows, watching his accomplice screw up.

The pursuers stopped scattering and converged on Ryuichi, eager to catch him now that their boss was watching. They started inching towards Ryuichi, who was adjusting Kuma's bowtie absentmindedly, waiting to pounce on him when they got close enough.

"Oh, hi, what's up?" Ryuichi asked, standing perfectly still until the first guard jumped. As soon as he made the move, Ryuichi catapulted up and over the tackler and onto a shop's cloth roof. A few of the guards grabbed their colleagues, mistaking them for Ryuichi, and a brawl ensued.

Ryuichi carefully got down and slunk down the street, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He looked over his shoulder to see if he was being followed and bumped into a sword swallower, letting out a scream that put little girls everywhere to shame. The performer dropped his favored food and fell over backwards, unsure of what had just assaulted him. One of the assailants was a stuffed rabbit.

"Sorry!" Ryuichi said, clearing his throat to drop his voice back down to normal. He bent down to retrieve the sword, straightening up only to come face to face with the guards. "Ahh!"

"Woah! He's armed!" the closest guard shouted, tripping over his comrades to get away.

A collective gasp went up from the guard contingent and they all started back pedaling, each and every one of them terrified of Ryuichi with a weapon besides the deadly rabbit. Tatsuha ran up behind his men shortly afterward, and shook his head. He'd been bamboozled by Ryuichi before too, but that was because he wanted to get into his pants, not because he was stupid. He sighed deeply and pulled out his sword.

"Guys? We all have swords…"Tatsuha said gingerly, not sure how his men were going to take the news.

"He's got a sword!" one of them shouted back at him, visibly shaking.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Tatsuha muttered, losing his cool. "You idiot! We've all got swords!"

The guards looked down at their belts, those that hadn't done so earlier drew their weapons, and they all looked back over at Ryuichi. Ryuichi flashed them a big cheesy grin and set the sword down, stepping back as he did so. As soon as the sword hit the ground he took off again, leaving clouds of dust behind him.

"Not again! Catch him dammit!" Tatsuha screamed, close to jumping up and down on the spot. "NOW!"

The guards scattered and took off after Ryuichi, finding him dancing in place and spinning in circles in a busy intersection of streets, trying to decide the best route for escape. They closed in, blocking off the exits, and before Ryuichi could make another move to flee, they had him completely surrounded.

"Finally…some competence…" Tatsuha said under his breath, wondering how the city managed to stay safe when his men were all that was protecting it.

"Great." Yuki whispered, glaring in Ryuichi's general direction. He hated having to intervene.

"Not good, not good…" Ryuichi said, panicked. He wasn't sure where to go, or what to do. He glanced to his left and saw a rope snaking up a wall. Without giving it a second thought, he darted around the few guards blocking that side and launched himself at the rope, scurrying up as soon as he had a hold of it. "That was too close, Kuma."

"How does he keep getting away from you?" Tatsuha screamed, flapping his arms. "He talks to a stuffed animal! He can't walk down a street without getting lost at least twice! This is pathetic!"

A handful of the guards ran towards the rope as well, spurred on by the words of their frothing captain. They all reached the rope at the same time, and in their rush to be the first one up it, it got wrenched down.

"HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing?" a man shouted, waving his arms and smacking one of the guards. "It's a freaking trick rope, you idiots! You ruined it!"

"Move it! We have to catch him!" one of the guards responded, rubbing his arm where the angry man had hit him.

"No, you have to fix it! I want paid for this dammit, these things aren't easy to do!"

"He's getting away!" the guard pleaded, three seconds away from stomping his foot and throwing a tantrum.

"I don't give a flying rat's ass, you better make this right!" the trickster yelled, grabbing the guard and giving him a shake.

"Jeez, you, stay here and handle this. Fill out a form or something." Tatsuha said, shaking his head and signaling to his other men to keep moving. He pushed through the people that were starting to gather around, excited to see Ryuichi's usual spectacle. "Move it!"

Ryuichi was perched up on the roof, watching the guards make fools of themselves, and periodically waving to his forming fan base. When he saw Tatsuha head for the building he'd taken roost on, he waved at him and started taunting the guards as they thundered up the stairs towards him.

"One jump ahead of the hoof beats!" Ryuichi called down, cupping a hand around his ear.

"Vandal!" the crowd shouted back up, getting into the moment.

"One hop ahead of the hump!" Ryuichi continued, smiling wickedly. Yuki took everyone's distraction as an opportunity and ducked into an alley next to the building, ready for the morning to be over. He was ready to strangle Ryuichi.

"Street rat!" the people yelled, jumping up and down and clapping. They loved a good show to start the day off right.

"One trick ahead of disaster!" Ryuichi plowed on, listening for the guards.

"Scoundrel!"

"They're quick-but I'm much faster!" Ryuichi said, doing a spin and striking a pose. The guards were about to reach the roof, and this time he was ready for them.

"Take that!"

As soon as the guards reached the roof, Ryuichi smiled and took a bow, falling backwards off of the building. He righted himself in midair and bounced off a cloth stretched over a street vendor's shop. He grabbed onto a window ledge and pulled himself into the room. He was in a storage room, and there was only one door leading into it. He could see the guards putting it together, and he knew that he'd be trapped if he stayed there very long.

"Think…think…what should we do, Kuma?" Ryuichi asked the rabbit, a little uneasy. He started to pace around, and spotted a throw rug. He cocked his head and considered it, deciding that it would be the best way to go. Even if he got caught, it would look really, really cool.

"Here goes, better throw my hand in, wish me happy landin', all I gotta do is jump!" Ryuichi sang out the window, blowing kisses out to the crowd. He jumped on the rug and sailed out of the window, Kuma's ear clamped in his mouth.

The guards quickly flooded the small room and several of them dove for the window that Ryuichi had just escaped out of. One of the first ones got stuck in the window, and the others occupied themselves with making cracks about laying off of the roasted camel.

"Back down! Now!" Tatsuha screamed, ignoring the protests of the man wedged in the window. "We can still get him! He's in the alley, he's trapped!"

"We did it, Kuma!" Ryuichi said, high-fiving the rabbit. He spun around, holding the bunny up in the air, and failed to notice that the guards had trapped him in the small space.

"Yes! I've finally got you, my honey!" said Tatsuha in ecstasy. "You're mine now! Cuff him!"

"Yes sir." answered the guards, moving to corner Ryuichi.

"Not fair…" Ryuichi said, furrowing his brow. He considered his options, and faced Tatsuha. "Bring it."

"Not a problem." Tatsuha responded smugly, convinced of his victory.

"I don't think so! KUMAGORO BEAM!" screamed Ryuichi as he threw Kuma at the guards with all of his might. All three fell over and Tatsuha ducked as the rabbit flew over his head. "Aha! Kuma wins again!"

Ryuichi danced around the still cowering Tatsuha and snatched his rabbit. He ran off, wanting to find Yuki. After some searching, he discovered Yuki hiding in the alley beside the building he'd commandeered earlier.

"Here. You need to get a new song. You've used it three times this week." Said Yuki irritably, tossing half of the loaf to Ryuichi and biting into his own share of the bread.

"Hey! What about Kuma's share?" squealed Ryuichi as he eyed Yuki's bread.

"You've got to be kidding me…Give him some of yours, stupid."

"No! Kuma helps! He wants his own fourth!"

"Fourth? There are only three of us."

"Wait…three?" said Ryuichi, counting on his fingers.

"Why do I even bother with you?" sighed Yuki as he sat down to finish his bread.

"Hey, Yuki, look. Kids." Said Ryuichi, abandoning his attempt to count how many were in their trio and seeing two children going through a garbage barrel.

"Ryuichi, no. We've talked about this, abandoned fish skeletons and broomsticks are not children." Yuki told Ryuichi, thinking back to when Ryuichi had brought home various refuse, claiming that it had followed him home or needed to be babysat.

"Real kids this time." Ryuichi replied seriously, walking up to the kids and handing over his and Kuma's share of the bread. "Here you go."

Yuki sighed again, got up, and handed his bread over to the kids. It was either that or risk a fight with Ryuichi, and he wasn't sure if he was awake enough to handle a temper tantrum from his roommate.

"Damn your good nature." He hissed in Ryuichi's direction, watching the kids devour his hard-earned breakfast.

"Not in front of the kids!" squealed Ryuichi, reaching to cover the children's ears, all seriousness forgotten.

A few minutes later, music cut through the uncomfortable silence of Yuki glaring and Ryuichi hiding behind the children. The kids ran from Ryuichi and went into the square to view the happenings. Yuki followed after them closely, slightly concerned about what was happening out there. Ryuichi grabbed Kuma and headed out as well, knowing better than to leave Yuki alone with the kids. His temper couldn't even handle him, a thirty-two year old, let alone two kids that weren't even ten.

There was a small procession meandering down the main street that led to the palace. At its head was an interesting looking man riding on a prancing horse. He had long brown hair, and sensitive grey eyes to match.

"He must be another suitor for the prince." said one of the bystanders, staring in awe at the Prince's coterie.

"Yeah, I've heard that the Sultana is desperate to marry him off." added another, practically drooling over the opulence being displayed.

Suddenly, the children ran out from the crowd and in front of the horse. They realized their mistake too late to correct it. As they attempted to flee the spotlight, a brusque guard from the company approached them holding a whip menacingly.

"I'll teach you two a lesson!" said the guard threateningly, raising his whip. "Never impede royalty, you trash!"

"Leave them!" the company leader ordered, his grey eyes flaring. "They're just kids for Allah's sake…"

"But sir!"

"Just leave them alone and keep going. That's an order; please listen this time…" said Hiroshi as his horse continued toward the beautiful palace. However, the reluctant guard lagged behind and awaited his opportunity.

"Hey, Yuki! He's going after the kids! Do something!" whispered Ryuichi in Yuki's direction. "Come on!"

"And why should I? You do something, oh mighty Kuma." Yuki replied sarcastically, not willing to openly show his concern.

"Please? You're bigger and stronger and smarter and-" stammered Ryuichi, trying to get the taller man to run to the rescue of the small children he had befriended.

"Fine…" said Yuki as the belligerent guard sidestepped his master's orders and went to raise his whip again.

"You know, if I had that kind of money…" said Yuki eyeing Hiro's fine clothes while he stepped between the children and the guard. "I could afford to teach my guards some decency."

"What…?" said Hiroshi, turning his horse around to see better. "Hey! I told you to leave them!"

"Meddling street rat!" the guard yelled, pushing Yuki into a puddle of mud.

"It must be hard guarding a horse's ass and behaving like one at the same time." Yuki quipped. "And yet you're doing a wonderful job of it."

"You worthless filth!" shouted the guard, retreating back to his angry master. "You'll never amount to anything, you're not even worth my time."

"I'm not worthless!" Yuki yelled back, but the doors to the palace grounds had already closed. "And you couldn't afford my time if you wanted to…let's go, Ryuichi."

"Riffraff, street rat. I don't buy that. If only they'd look closer…would they see a poor boy? No siree. They'd find out, there's so much more to us." Ryuichi sang as the two walked home, really getting into the moment.

"Enough with your damn singing." Yuki snapped, pulling back a ragged curtain and looking at their excellent view of the palace. He sighed heavily and stared out the window, ignoring Ryuichi's protests. "Things are going to change, Ryuichi. We're going to be rich, we'll live in a palace, and you'll be contained in your own wing, far away from me. No more scrounging for food, no more guards, hell, I'll have my own…"

* * *

Not really anything new here, just found a better way to do the song and tried to clean up some of the messy spots. Enjoy, and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

OK, OK, shameless plug for another story... I started writing a spoof of Jim Henson's "Labyrinth", so yeah...it's there if anyone's interested. Also, the first chapter of Return of Caspian is almost finished.

Love and peace,

Amaya

(9/24/10 - Needed to fix some page breaks, nothing new)


	2. Chapter 2

"Get that thing away from me!" screamed Hiro as he ran from the garden area of the palace into the main hall. Half of his satin cape was missing.

"Nice shot, Cinda!" cheered a young man standing by a glistening fountain, the sunlight reflecting off of his strawberry hair. "Good girl." (A/N: I volunteer at Sedgwick County Zoo and one of our African Brush Elephant's name is Cinda.)

"Shuichi!" came a cold voice dripping with rage. "What the hell have you done this time?"

"It was his own fault…Cinda just wanted to shake hands." said the accused with a smile, showing brilliant white teeth. "Besides…"

"Don't give me that crap! He was my las- I mean, your last chance!"

"I don't see what you're so upset about! I thought you wanted me to marry some princess!" said the angry teenager, getting up from his seat on the ground. "Make up your mind already, Mika!"

"I tried to get you to marry a respectable princess! But you're too damn lazy to leave the palace and go look for one!"

"I don't care." said Shuichi back, his voice showing defeat. "It doesn't matter anyway…"

"Yes it does! You have to be married in six days, dammit!" screamed Mika at the insolent boy. "It's what your father would have wanted, princess or no!"

"Don't act like you care! You're not my mother!"

"That doesn't matter. Your father married me before his death. I am the Sultana!"

"You-"

"This conversation is over. You will be married, mark my words. And it will be to Prince Nakano." Mika then turned on her heel and marched out of the courtyard, looking murderous.

"Over my dead body…" muttered the angry prince. "I'm sick of this! I'm not under her control!"

In response, his best friend and only confidant, Cinda, calmly looked at him. She grunted once and patted Shuichi softly on the head, ruffling up his hair. This usually made him laugh, and she knew it, but not this time.

"I know, I know…she's the Sultana. But she's wrong. My father would have wanted me to be happy…that's all he ever wanted." Said the boy quietly, walking over to the large fountain in the garden. Cinda followed after him, trying to rearrange his mussed hair. He sadly stared at his reflection, completely displeased with what he saw even though it was perfect.

The reflection showed gorgeous and deep violet eyes, shining pink hair that always managed to bring a smile from anyone, a white marble face shaped like a heart, a skinny frame, and the finest silken clothes money could buy. His shirt was a medium purple, to match his eyes, and was bordered with golden ribbon on the neckline, cuffs, and midriff. His pants were white silk, and topped off by a plum and gold sash. All were in pristine condition.

He had everything, he was everything. Ordinary people would kill to be him. But…he was still unhappy. Mika owned his life; told him what to do, whom to see, what to eat…everything. He wasn't his own person, just a hollow shell of a puppet living out her orders.

"I can't keep living like this, Cinda…I hate it…" choked Shuichi through heavy and concealed sobbing. "I don't want to marry that prince, I don't want to listen to her, I don't want to be here anymore!"

Being a very intelligent elephant, Cinda, for a reply, wrapped her trunk around her sobbing friend and made a low grumbling noise for comfort.

"At least I have you…"

* * *

"Ah…Tohma, you're back." Said Mika charmingly, facing the approaching Tohma. "And Caspian as well. Want some Cheezits, little bird?"

"Mika, my darling…how's the brat? And our plan?" asked Tohma quietly, not wanting to be overheard. "Caspian's just eaten…"

"Too bad. The plan is failing Tohma…that damned elephant chased off another one. And the boy is as indignant as ever." Answered Mika angrily as she started pacing the room in a temper. "And where is my lamp?"

"Ummm…."

"Hoo boy, crunch time…" muttered Caspian to Tohma very discreetly, sensing the impending doom.

"Tohma…" said Mika, her voice showing hidden malice. "My lamp?"

"I couldn't get it…" answered Tohma while he started to take steps backwards. "The cave…it's picky…"

"WHAT?! YOU WERE OUTSMARTED BY AN INANTIMATE OBJECT? AGAIN, TOHMA?!" screamed the enraged Sultana.

"What? No…not again, and it's quite animate! It threw a yo-yo at me!"

"A yo-yo, Tohma?" hissed Mika, walking towards Tohma menacingly. "A…yo-yo?"

"Yes. And it was made of wood."

"Wood?"

"Yes." said Tohma, holding his ground even though Mika was three inches from his face. "And it left a mark."

"I can't believe this…my royal vizier. Beaten up by a yo-yo spewing cave. Honestly. Even Shuichi could have done a better job…" muttered Mika as she returned to her throne.

"I'm sorry, Sultana…"

"Whatever. Now…how do we get my lamp?"

"The cave says it wants a 'golden sapphire'." Answered Tohma slowly, not wanting to cause any unwarranted anger.

"A golden sapphire, eh?"

"Yes…"

"And how do we find one? Should we search the treasury?" asked Mika before she realized the true meaning. "Oh! It means personality wise, right? And you're cutthroat wasn't good enough?" she replied again with heavy sarcasm.

"Well…I could conduct a test…"

"Then get going, Tohma…"

"But milady…I need something for the test."

"What Tohma? You know the palace treasury is at your command. Go buy what you need." said Mika with a casual wave of her hand. "Now leave me. I want to play with my toys."

"Well…this concerns your…your toys. I can't just _buy_ this thing…" said Tohma, nervously dancing around his topic.

"And how does this thing concern my things?" said Mika as she pulled out a voodoo doll of Shuichi and a heavily ornamented pin.

"That. It concerns that. I need your pin…"

"This is gonna be good…." muttered Caspian, enjoying the spectacle.

"No way in hell are your hands touching this pin." answered Mika, clutching the pin to her.

"Mika, please…for our lamp?"

"MY LAMP!"

"Yes…your lamp, but please? I need that pin…" said Tohma, trying to stand firm.

"NO!"

After fifteen minutes of arguing, Mika finally gave in. She realized that the effort of getting the lamp was more important than torturing Shuichi daily. And it was causing noticeable bruises anyway. That elephant might come after her.

* * *

Tohma made the most of his victory. With the pin in his possession, he could conduct a test that he had only heard about. It was extreme black magic, and he could barely master card tricks. He had no idea how he was going to pull of this outrageous stunt without blowing himself up, but everything was worth a try.

"Aha…I have the pin." said Tohma to Caspian after they had quitted the royal throne room.

"No shit Sherlock." returned Caspian moodily. He had wanted bloodshed.

"To the Ultra Secret Lair!"

"Here we go again…" muttered Caspian, preparing for the long trek to the Ultra Secret Lair.

Tohma prepared to sprint, and Caspian prepared to fly, but the destination was not very far; the duo took two steps to their left and opened a very obvious broom closet.

"Home sweet home." said Tohma, taking off his ridiculous vizier hat and hanging it up. It cramped his style and flattened his hair, but every once in a while he wore it to look professional. He was the vizier after all. He had somehow magicked the closet to look like a roomy and modern office. How he had done this was a mystery to him. Caspian said he did it in his sleep one night.

"Now…to business…" said Tohma, taking the pin out of his pocket.

"And how are we supposed to do this?"

"We…I…well, I'm not exactly sure."

"Brilliant!"

"Oh, shut up Caspian!"

"Make me!"

"Conure stir fry is a delicacy…"

"Point taken…." muttered Caspian in mock defeat as he prepared his counterattack. Within five seconds, he had bitten both of Tohma's ears, flown around the room and landed on Tohma's desk with the pin in his beak.

"What now fool?" said Caspian, transferring the pin from his beak to his foot.

"You stupid bird!"

"You stupid human!"

"Enough…we have work to do…" said Tohma darkly, pulling out a large volume from a nearby bookcase.

* * *

"That's it. I'm leaving." said Shuichi resolutely as he neared the palace wall. He crept through the darkness, watching for any opposition. "Oops! I'm supposed to be quiet…"

He had been trying to elude capture by Cinda, but she had ears like a fox and never missed anything.

"My cover's blown for sure…" said Shuichi, crouching behind a tree and waiting for her eminent approach. But she didn't show up.

"Maybe she didn't hear me…" whispered Shuichi. "I still have a chance!"

As he began to hum the Mission Impossible theme to aid him in his sneaking across the garden and Cinda's playground, Shuichi failed to pay attention to where he was going. He soundly tripped and fell towards the fountain, but he never fell in. Something was grasping him around the middle, holding him back.

"Need a hand?" said a voice debonairly from the darkness.

"What the…? Let go of me!" said Shuichi loudly, now trying to lure out his long-nosed companion.

"Are you sure?" answered the voice. "I don't know if you really want me to."

"Who are you?" asked Shuichi, pulling away from the fountain and his midnight rescuer. Clomping footsteps were heard in the distance.

"I'm your fiancé. You should be nicer to me." Said Hiroshi with a pained expression.

"Jerk." Snarled Shuichi as he started to stalk off.

"Hey…wait…I'm sorry. I'm not really a jerk. I'm a nice guy…you just bring out the worst in me." Hiro said, clearly distressed. Sadness clouded his eyes, and he sighed heavily as he looked woefully at Shuichi.

"Oh really? How nice. But there's no redemption for you. You called my elephant an ugly sack of leather. She's not leather dumbass, and she's beautiful." replied Shuichi icily, nearing the palace wall.

"Fine." said Hiro, admitting defeat for the night. Shuichi was in no mood to hear him out, he could tell. He sighed, sincerely hoping that tomorrow would award him a better opportunity to tell Shuichi the truth about everything.

"Fine." returned Shuichi, puzzling on how to scale the wall. He had never escaped before. He dismissed Hiro's words without a second thought, not at all interested in the foul prince.

It was at that moment when Cinda decided to show up. A gigantic log flying through the air towards Hiroshi announced her arrival. It landed three feet to the right of him. She gave a single warning grumble, alluding to what would happen next time she saw him. He immediately fled the garden, wishing he could have explained his atrocious behavior.

"Hey girl…" said Shuichi slyly, not wanting his intentions to show. But elephants are very smart and not easy to fool.

She stared back at him, unblinking, knowing all.

"Listen…I can't stay here. I have to get out. I can't stand being bossed around by Mika any longer. I want to live!"

Cinda seemed to agree, but was reluctant to let her long-time friend leave.

"You'll be fine. Mika's terrified of you, and you have this whole big garden to play in. And I'll come back someday to see you…or I'll come rescue you! Something…"

Realizing that her owner needed to leave, Cinda scooped him up in her trunk and tossed him over the wall. Elephants are problem solvers too.

"Ouch…" complained Shuichi, wanting to shoot a biting comment back over the wall but deciding not to; elephants never forget. He instead stood up, brushed himself off, and walked down the street he'd landed in, seeing the marketplace for the first time in his life.

* * *

Hey there peeps. I didn't like the way the Hiro dialogue flowed, so I revamped it. I also changed a few other things around, but nothing major plot wise. Happy reading.

-Amaya


	3. Chapter 3

"Tohma, come on. Figure it out already." Said Caspian in an exasperated tone as Tohma continued to pour over the large volume in a vain attempt to find the correct spell. The man had been at it all day and into the night.

"Caspian…just shut up. Why do you even speak?"

"Because I can."

"I could make it so you can't. Consider that."

"Well then consider that you can't even do card tricks let alone jinx me…" said Caspian while he casually scratched his head with his foot.

"I found it! I FOUND IT!" shouted Tohma excitedly as he jumped around the room with the big book. "Now we can get down to business."

"Oh boy…" returned Caspian, not in the least excited. He could really care less. He just wanted some Fruit Loops.

"It calls for a conure feather interestingly enough…" muttered Tohma while he calculated the risk of stealing one of Caspian's feathers.

"Hell no. You are NOT getting one of these babies!" retorted Caspian, quickly starting to fly around the room. "No, no, no, no, AHHH!"

Tohma had apparently grabbed the green parrot by his tail when he had started flying. The vizier now held a single tail feather in his gloved hand.

"Gotcha."

"I hate you…I'm leaving."

"Oh, and where do you think you're going? This is your room too."

"I'm perfectly aware." Said Caspian with his hurt tail and strong pride influencing his voice. "I'm going to my cage now. And I'm not helping you."

"Grudge holding parrot…" coughed Tohma as he took his feather over to the book. "Oh well. I'll manage…"

The large book contained pages covering the spell, but an owner of the past had inserted a small and tattered note-card. Noticing the imperfection within the volume, Tohma carefully removed the note and read the small scribbled lines. And then his face lit up, his day was made. The card was a shortcut. A simple task was now laid out in front of the vizier. And it turned out that he didn't even need the conure feather.

"Hey, Caspo…you want your feather back?" posed Tohma quietly as he eyed the cage containing the infamous bird. "Caspian?"

"I'm not speaking to you." Returned the sulking bird with contempt.

"Fine. I'll just throw it away then. It's only a little, meaningless feather…" said Tohma while he casually twirled the feather around in his fingers.

"Give me that you twit!" Exclaimed Caspian with annoyance as he swooped from his cage and grabbed the feather. He spent the remaining time in the Ultra Secret Lair attempting to reattach his tail feather and smirking at Tohma's odd tries for success.

"Now…it says I need to create a storm. How do I do that…? Oh…it says here…" said Tohma to himself as he read the card over again.

After ten minutes of pondering and dissecting the meaning of the card, Tohma finally had a plan. He needed lumber. And lots of it. Grabbing his treasury slip and heading out the door, Tohma had a plan in mind. And it was quite complex.

He was back twenty minutes later armed with two sticks and some dried up palm leaves. He needed fire, and fire he would have. Of course, he could have just taken some fire from the palace, but it wasn't one of Tohma's bright days. It was a pink apron kind of day for Tohma. Caspian watched the fire spectacle unfold with cackling delight. He loved watching stupid people do stupid things.

Forty-five minutes yielded a blazing leaf fire, creating entirely by Tohma while following verbal directions from Caspian. To decide his new course of action, Tohma regarded the note-card. It called for cold air to mix with his fire. Now Tohma faced a new problem. Snow. In the middle of the desert.

"Oh Caspian…" cooed Tohma soothingly, thinking of Caspian's strong wings and the breeze produced when he flew. "Come here, good bird…"

"I'm not a good bird and I don't like your tone…" retorted Caspian as he ran along his cage watching Tohma.

"Come here."

"Never. I'm not helping you, you dirty feather thief."

"Caspian, you don't have a choice…"

"Oh yes I do!"

With those words, the battle began. Man against bird, evil versus feathered, genius pitted against mastermind. And it lasted about ten seconds. It all came to a mighty end with Tohma grabbing Caspian and with the latter emitting some very parroty squawking noises.

"Alright…let's get this thing moving, eh?" said Tohma pensively while he rubbed his hands together and started some evil laughter. And then he stroked his lime green feather boa for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's go back to Shuichi's master escape, before Tohma got a clue.

* * *

Shuichi had never tasted freedom before. All his life he had had others telling him what to do, telling him how to live. His only friend had always been Cinda. Even his own father had been far too busy for him to be around. And his mother had died during childbirth. So far, freedom was great. But the approaching shadow threatened to ruin everything.

The shadow belonged to a lowly guard. Normally he wouldn't have even considered looking down the alleyway containing Shuichi, but his captain, Tatsuha, had ordered everyone to crack down on security to catch two notorious robbers. Their names were Yuki and Ryuichi, and they were un-catchable supposedly. There was rumor going around that Tatsuha only wanted the two stopped so he could 'talk' to Ryuichi, but no one had been able to confirm it.

So with his new orders in place, the subordinate casually strolled down the dark alleyway, and he was not expecting to meet someone else. Especially not someone that fit the description of Ryuichi almost to a tee.

"You there! You're under arrest…for being a thief!" shouted the guard as he drew his sword.

"Wha? I'm not a thief! I'm the prin--…I mean, I'm not a thief, that's for sure!" answered Shuichi nervously. He had never experienced something like this before.

"You're under arrest, Ryuichi!"

"That's not my name!" said Shuichi desperately while the man continued to advance towards him. And then hope arrived in the form of someone more beautiful than anyone Shuichi had ever laid eyes on.

Yuki stood at the entrance to the alleyway with Ryuichi and Kuma not far behind. The two had been on the lookout for the guards for the purpose of having some fun with them. But this new discovery was worth Yuki's attention. The scene before him showed a small teen that looked surprisingly like Ryuichi. Except his hair. It was ridiculously pink; the moonlight showed it quite clearly. His clothes were fine, so he must've come from money. And not to mention the fact that Yuki found him downright, captivatingly…cute.

"Thank you so much for finding him…I've been looking around all night…" said Yuki suavely as he quickly approached the guard and a newly startled Shuichi with a serious look in his golden eyes.

"He's under arrest…and you might be too, I've got to check my pictures…" said the guard as he began to rummage through his pockets.

"That won't be necessary. Don't worry. I'm a doctor." Said Yuki seriously. With a quick move, he stepped behind Shuichi and grabbed his arm.

"Hey! Let go of me!" said Shuichi in a worried tone while he struggled against Yuki's strong grip.

"You see, he thinks he's a cat burglar…" said Yuki to the guard. And then to Shuichi very quietly, "Play along and you'll get out of this one…"

"A cat burglar…?" asked the guard suspiciously.

"Meow?" replied Shuichi tentatively, not sure of what to do.

"You see?" said Yuki to the guard as he wrapped his arm around Shuichi's waist and let go of his arm. "He's a tad touched in the head…" With that, Yuki started twirling his finger around his ear in the universal signal for crazy.

"Alright then. Get him home."

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad you understand…" said Yuki as he quickly walked back along the alley dragging a slightly protesting Shuichi with him. Ryuichi and Kuma awaited them patiently at the end of the alleyway.

"Thank you for saving me…" said Shuichi quietly when they had reached the end of the alley. "I'll just get going now…"

"You're not going anywhere." Said Yuki matter-of-factly.

"What? What do you mean…?" said Shuichi, starting to wonder just who had saved him.

"In point blank terms, you're an idiot. You walked right into a guard, almost blew my excuse, and just look plain stupid. I'm doing you a favor." Stated Yuki quite frankly, ignoring completely the angry and pained look Shuichi acquired after the first few sentences.

"Oh…" said Shuichi, still very nervous around the tall stranger. "Well, who are you?"

"My name is Yuki. No other questions asked…" replied Yuki carefully as he didn't want the boy to know his full name. He might have heard of his illustrious career. He couldn't believe the kid was falling for his lame excuse. "He must be more of an idiot than I thought…" Yuki muttered to himself.

"Hmm? Say something Yuki?" Shuichi asked brightly, spinning around to look Yuki in the eyes.

Yuki didn't respond and instead raised his eyebrows. Shuichi was walking backwards in front of him, smiling like a fool. Yuki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. A part of him was starting to regret tricking Shuichi into coming home with him; the kid was starting to grate on his nerves.

"You're pretty quiet…but that thing you did with the guard, that was amazing! You're so cool…" Shuichi spewed, turning around again to face forwards. He glanced over his shoulder and gave Yuki his brightest smile. For a response Yuki merely glared at him, and Shuichi smiled again.

"Just be quiet. If the guards catch you again, I'm leaving you behind." Yuki said blankly, ignoring Shuichi's attempts to draw him out.

"OK, Yuki." Shuichi returned, his voice still irritatingly happy. "So, where do you guys liv-"

"What did I tell you?" Yuki spat, grabbing Shuichi's shoulder and spinning him around.

"To be quiet…" Shuichi answered, shuffling his feet and looking down at the ground. Behind Yuki, Ryuichi laughed to himself. The new guy was funny. To make sure that Kuma didn't get in trouble, he covered the rabbit's mouth and waited for Yuki to start moving again.

"Exactly. Learn to listen." Yuki said as he released Shuichi's shoulder and moved past him.

Shuichi was quiet for most of the walk, but he couldn't contain his curiosity. He was fascinated by Yuki. He was hands-down the most gorgeous person he'd ever seen, and the way he'd handled the guard, and the way his eyes seemed to pierce-. He stopped himself before he started drooling and ran up to talk to Yuki again.

"Before you even start, don't." Yuki said, sensing Shuichi's desire to speak. "Don't even."

"Sorry Yuki…" Shuichi answered. He was quiet for about thirty seconds, and then he just couldn't help himself anymore. "So, what do you do for a living?"

"For the love of…shut up, kid." Yuki said, rubbing his temple and closing his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of the sight of Shuichi.

"I just want to know…is that so bad?" Shuichi quipped. He had no talent for knowing when to stop, and at this point Yuki was looking murderous.

"We're…" Ryuichi started to explain, before Yuki spun around and put a hand over his mouth.

"If anyone says one more word, so help me, I'll kill you both." Yuki said in a dangerously quiet voice. "I swear it, I will…"

The trio continued their stroll in peace, and Shuichi kept his mouth shut. Internally, his mind was running a marathon. He was captivated by Yuki, completely enthralled. Ryuichi was busy adjusting Kuma's bowtie, and Yuki was keeping a keen eye out for the guards.

"Hey, hey, hey, Yuki?" asked Ryuichi as Kuma.

"Not now…" Yuki hissed, trying to control his temper. Then a thought struck him: he hadn't calculated Ryuichi into his plan. He thought for a few seconds, and then found the way to remove his accomplice from the equation. "How about you go on a little 'mission'? Go find Tatsuha and steal his hat again, ne?"

"YAY! Mission Time Kuma!" sang the older man loudly as he skipped down the street to find his target.

"Now that he's gone…my place is this way, seeing as you're so stupid that I have to bring you along." Said Yuki as he grabbed Shuichi's wrist to lead him. He made sure to follow through with his excuse.

"I'm not that stupid, Yuki." Shuichi replied, a little hurt by the continued insults.

"Sure you're not. And the sky really isn't that blue." Yuki returned, getting a kick out of tormenting Shuichi.

"Of course it's not blue! Now who's the stupid one, huh, huh?" Shuichi said, a huge, gloating smile plastered across his face.

Yuki couldn't fathom a response and instead raised one eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting for Shuichi's explanation though a good chunk of him didn't want to hear it.

"It's nighttime, silly! The sky is black!" Shuichi said, still smiling.

"You've got to be kidding…" Yuki said on a sigh. He rolled his eyes and grabbed Shuichi's arm again, pulling him forward. "Let's go, genius."

"Genius is good, right? It's not a code word for stupid is it?" Shuichi asked, trying to recall the word's meaning from his jumbled mind.

Yuki was again left speechless. He thought about replying, but couldn't bring himself to face Shuichi again. It was a shame, really. He was a perfect case of beauty without the brains. But, he reminded himself, it would be worth it. If he could just struggle through the mind-numbing conversation, it would be worth it. It had, after all, been a very long time for him.

"OK. I think it's a good word. I like it much better than 'stupid' or 'idiot'." Shuichi said finally, having been lost in thought for the duration of Yuki's internal reverie.

"Good for you."

"How long 'til we get there?" Shuichi asked, ignoring the death threat issued earlier.

"You're talking again."

"Are we there yet?"

"Obviously not." Yuki said, trying his best to contain his temper. At this point, he was hoping for a guard to come along and relieve him of his babysitting. Shuichi was thankfully quiet for a handful of seconds, but Yuki knew it wouldn't last.

"Are we there yet? Huh, are we?" Shuichi asked again, clearly wanting a response. "Yuki? Are we there yet?"

"NO!" Yuki yelled, losing his composure. "No, we are NOT there yet. You psychotic little…"

"Psychotic…?" said Shuichi quietly as he started to lag behind, pondering the big word. "I don't like big words, Yuki…"

"And I don't like you, but here we are." Muttered Yuki bitterly.

The two continued down the street until they reached a rundown part of town. Ryuichi was nowhere to be seen and Yuki was regretting his decision more and more as the seconds wore on.

"So, I get to stay with you, right?" asked Shuichi confidently.

"No. You get to sleep on the doorstep and I expect you to be gone in the morning once I wake up. Got it?" Yuki returned, having decided against inviting Shuichi into his bed. He didn't think he could handle having to deal with him beyond tonight.

"But you said-"

"I said nothing! I felt sorry for you, so I unwittingly agreed to let you stay for ONE night." Returned Yuki angrily. He stopped in front of one of the more tumble-down houses and waited for Shuichi to catch up.

"Is this it?" asked Shuichi quietly. He was accustomed to the palace. "It's…it's…"

"Just shut up. I don't care what you think." Said Yuki strongly as he turned away and started quietly at the house. Without warning, he walked in.

"Yuki-san… I'm sorry."

"Shut up. Your voice is annoying me."

Shuichi decided to follow Yuki's advice and kept his mouth shut; better not to annoy his host any more than he usually would. He followed Yuki into the small house and didn't know what to say. It wasn't what he had expected.

The duo lived in the upper story of the small house. One wall had been practically demolished, and it offered an excellent view of the palace. Along the wall next to the view were one pillow and one blanket that had been meticulously folded. In the complete opposite corner was a huge stack of pillows. There were several blankets, and one of the pillows had the words 'Kuma-chan' stitched into it. Shuichi guessed that the latter belonged to the guy that was on the 'mission'. Yuki didn't seem like a pillow guy.

"You can grab one of the idiot's pillows and sleep on the doorstep." Said Yuki dryly as he unfolded his blanket carefully. "I don't want to hear you, see you, or even know you're here."

"If you don't want me here, then why did you help me?" asked Shuichi, his temper starting to rise. "You don't even care, so why am I here?!"

"I made a bad life decision. Let it go…"

"No!"

"Are you arguing with me? I could throw you out this window without a second thought!" threatened Yuki, looking lethal.

"Alright…alright. I'm sorry, Yuki-san…" said Shuichi blankly and spiritlessly.

"It doesn't matter. Go to sleep and leave me the hell alone." Now that he knew for sure that he wouldn't be getting any, Yuki was even crankier.

Shuichi silently accepted his surrender and slept through part of the night. But something was nagging him. He woke up around midnight to a full moon. There was something about Yuki. Shuichi couldn't place it, though he tried. After fifteen minutes of pondering, he stumbled across it.

"I like him…" whispered Shuichi quietly.

"I told you I didn't want to hear you…" drawled Yuki from his corner. His eyes were closed, and he looked very tired. He had spent some of his night pondering too. He still couldn't figure out why he had saved the kid now sleeping on his doorstep. He figured that he was probably really tired at the time, or he was drunk, or maybe because the kid was cute. But he really hoped it wasn't the latter. The kid was downright annoying.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryuichi was on a mission. And not any mission, mind you. It was top secret and very important. The fate of the whole world rested on his success. He had been ordered point blank by his captain to complete this mighty task. A task given only to the bravest…stealing Tatsuha's hat.

"I don't know why we're stealing his hat this time Kuma-chan…" said Ryuichi as he calmly ambled down the dark street. "Last time was 'cause the big meanie raided our house and stole your pillow."

In response, the stuffed rabbit only stared back.

"Why so quiet? Is Kuma tired?" said Ryuichi seriously, turning to his pink friend. "Ok, Ryu will whisper now so you can sleep."

The rabbit just stared back some more, completely oblivious to the matters at hand.

"Oh well…" whispered Ryuichi while he continued down the street. "Tatsuha's always a big meanie and Yuki's really smart so he must know what Tatsuha's done this time, right? Oh sorry…I forgot…you're sleeping…"

Ryuichi and his slumbering companion made their way down the street calmly until they reached Tatsuha's usual corner. The top guard was usually sound asleep at his corner letting his lackeys do all of the hard legwork. He had worked hard to get his position, and now that he had it, he just wanted to relax. Even though his hard work had consisted of pulling approximately one string. The Sultana was an old family friend. An hour of solid begging had secured him the top position.

But it was well known by anyone with intelligence, or anyone that was not Ryuichi, that Tatsuha didn't have some shining moral core. He didn't want to play guard. He didn't even want to wield the power like a maniac. All of the usual shallow reasons were out. Yes, his reason was shallow, but it was anything but normal for a friend of the Sultana and a lawman. He was convinced that he was in love with Ryuichi. Or, he had a slight obsession. Or he was crazy. No one really knew, not even Mr. Head Guard himself. And yet again, he was lounging at his corner, sleeping away and probably dreaming about the bunny-wielding criminal.

Tatsuha had given up on wearing the traditional garb for guards. He felt that it cramped his style. So he had instead taken to wearing black pants that fit perfectly, a white loose-fitting linen shirt that was edged in black ribbon, and a tight black undershirt that had long sleeves. His sword hung casually on his left side. He wasn't a fighter. He was a lover. But only when concerning Ryuichi.

And he was just plain oblivious. Yuki and Ryuichi had been consistently outsmarting him since before he became a guard. The first time that he laid eyes on Ryuichi was when Ryuichi robbed him in the streets. He had felt a slight pull on his belt and when he looked up he saw Ryuichi's bright blue eyes staring back from across the street. Then Ryuichi had waved Tatsuha's own purse at him and run away laughing. Yuki was watching from the shadows. He only went after people when true skill was required. Or when there was a beautiful woman involved. He had standards, after all.

However, Tatsuha was very picky about his hat. Only the top guard got to wear it and Tatsuha was rather fond of the way it accented the fact that he was in charge. And it was all the better for Ryuichi to notice him. And notice him Ryuichi did. Especially when he was playing 'Mission' and stealing the very thing.

Tonight was no different. Ryuichi cautiously approached the corner where Tatsuha was snoozing and stopped when he reached the shadows.

"Now shhhh…you have to be quiet Kuma-chan or we might get caught…" whispered Ryuichi energetically, excited for the opportunity of seeing Tatsuha jump up and down with rage. "If we get caught…well, Yuki'll be mad!"

The rabbit was still sleeping and consequently only stared back at Ryuichi.

Creeping closer and closer to Tatsuha, Ryuichi was in the zone. He was good at what he did, and enjoyed every minute of it. Sneaking along made it even better. Plus, it was Tatsuha. The big meanie. Revenge was sweet. It kinda tasted like vinegar.

But something was wrong. Tatsuha wasn't Tatsuha.

"NOW!" shouted a voice from behind Ryuichi.

Suddenly three guards grabbed Ryuichi and tied his hands and feet with a rope. Normally he would have Kumagoro beamed somebody, but the rabbit was being held prisoner by none other than Tatsuha. The guard sleeping had been a decoy. Tatsuha had ears all around the city and had heard of the plot. Actually, he had been standing behind a flowerpot when Ryuichi had received his orders. But Tatsuha liked to pretend that he was a tough guy with spies.

"GIVE ME MY RABBIT!" Ryuichi shouted loudly.

"Nope…" said Tatsuha nonchalantly, tossing Kuma in the air and catching him.

"GIVE ME MY KUMA-CHAN!" screamed Ryuichi, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Alright, alright. Just don't cry…" said Tatsuha, untying Ryuichi's hands and giving him the stuffed rabbit. Tatsuha was having a slow night. He didn't realize his mistake. His head was too busy clouding itself with visions of his victory celebrations.

"Kuma!"

"I'm glad you're happy, my honey…" drooled Tatsuha as he stepped closer. "You're so much better than I remember."

"You're a big meanie. You stole my Kumagoro." Said Ryuichi, his voice dangerously serious.

"No I didn't…I was babysitting."

"Ku…kum….Kuma…."

"Now what? Your language is so perfect!" said Tatsuha as he lapsed back into fan boy mode.

"KUMAGORO BEAM!"

And with that, all of the guards went flying, Tatsuha hit a wall and was knocked unconscious, half of a building disappeared, and Ryuichi hopped down the street cackling maniacally, his feet still tied together.

"Damn…" muttered one of the guards as he surveyed the extensive damage. "The boss must be a masochist or something."

* * *

"Sorry…wait. I thought you were sleeping…" said Shuichi, turning bright red in the darkness in response to Yuki's irritation and discovery. "I didn't say anything…"

"I don't care to know who you were talking about, but I heard you. You said something."

"Well, I was talking about…"

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" shouted Yuki now fully awake and pacing. Yuki knew perfectly well whom Shuichi had been talking about. At least he thought he did and he was not happy about it in the least bit.

"Well sorry for the inconvenience!" returned Shuichi, nearing his breaking point as he stood up. "So sorry for disturbing you, your highness!"

"Would you shut up already?!" screeched Yuki, his voice almost rising an octave.

"You first!" shouted Shuichi back, taking a step towards Yuki.

"This is my house, you insignificant worm!" answered Yuki, taking a longer step towards Shuichi.

"Well…-" stammered Shuichi. Yuki was a few inches from his face. "I…I…"

"What? Nothing to say? It must be a miracle." Said Yuki softly. He hadn't realized how gorgeous the boy was, especially close up, until now. "Earlier…"

"I'm sorry for waking you up…" said Shuichi quietly as he started backing up. But Yuki grabbing his wrist stopped him. "I didn't mean to wak-"

"It doesn't matter."

"Ummm…"

"What?"

"Can I have my wrist back please…?"

"Eh? Whatever." Said Yuki casually. He hadn't realized that he was in possession of the wrist in the first place.

"I didn't mean to offend you earlier…I like the house…"

"Just leave it."

"Yuki-san…"

"I said to drop it! This place doesn't matter to me. Someday I'll be living there." Said Yuki in a low voice and gesturing towards the shining palace.

"Why would you want to live there?" asked Shuichi without realizing what he was getting himself into.

"Why wouldn't I? I'd be rich…"

"Money isn't everything though…"

"And just how would you know?" snapped Yuki angrily. He had assumed the boy's clothes had been stolen after getting to know him. He was way too stupid for nobility. They knew how to educate their children.

"Umm…I…I…my stepmother comes from money…yeah." Stammered Shuichi. He didn't want Yuki to know who he was.

"Hmph. Lucky you."

"Not really…"

"Only you would complain about having money."

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't even know me!" yelled Shuichi angrily.

"I know you're stupid. You'd have to be."

"And why's that?" said Shuichi defensively.

"Because people with money get to do whatever they want…whatever clothes they want…whatever rooms, whatever house, everything! You're an idiot to be unhappy!"

"Oh, and you think your life is all bad, huh?" Shouted Shuichi, wanting Yuki to understand his plight but not wanting to give himself away.

"Yes. I do." Returned Yuki smugly.

"Oh…well you shouldn't. You have all the freedom. You go where you want, do what you want when you want to, you have everything…" said Shuichi unhappily.

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Shut up, you idgit."

"But--!"

"I'm trapped in this life and what makes you think that I want to have some brat preach to me that money is horrible and I've got it made? What kind of a fool are you?!" screamed Yuki, taking a step towards the window.

"And you think my life is perfect!? Well, it's not! I have no choice in anything! I'm trapped too!" returned Shuichi with passion.

Yuki had no response, but found himself drawn to Shuichi even more than he had been earlier. In return, Shuichi stepped toward Yuki and looked him in the eyes. Yuki closed his eyes gulped audibly and reminded himself of his decision to keep his hands off of Shuichi. When he opened them again, Shuichi was still in front of him and he still looked absolutely breath-taking. Yuki instantly elected to disregard his earlier decision; there was no way he'd be able to control himself, with or without the threat of idiocy hanging above his head.

"You don't believe me?" asked Shuichi with sadness apparent in his voice.

"No…I believe you." Said Yuki as he leaned in to Shuichi's beautiful face. "And I understand…"

"Yuki…" said Shuichi softly, leaning up to meet Yuki's face.

Yuki didn't bother with a response. His only answering move was pressing his lips to Shuichi and wrapping his arms around the boy's small waist. In return, Shuichi put his arms around Yuki's middle and moved in closer. When the kiss broke, the two didn't waste time with words. They only answered the silent room with another kiss that was deeper than the last.

* * *

"Start flapping Caspian!" said Tohma in an exasperated voice. He had been attempting to make the bird cooperate for over fifteen minutes.

"Nope. I don't feel like it…" answered Caspian as he swung by his tail from Tohma's gloved hand. "I'm really rather tired." With the last comment, the insolent parrot stretched out his wings and yawned dramatically.

"Caspian Toulouse!"

In response to half of his full name, Caspian stopped yawning and flipped himself up to face his owner.

"How dare you…" muttered the sullen parrot.

"Start. Flapping."

"Fine…" sighed the bird in defeat. The middle name coming out never meant good things for Caspian. It meant Tohma was getting ready to morph into his manipulative and crazy side.

After ten minutes of solid flapping by Caspian, Tohma's storm had neared its climax. The parrot was now lying on his back with his wings spread out and he was panting like a dog. He wasn't a hard worker. He led a pampered life, feasting on Fruit Loops whenever he deemed necessary. Not to mention the customary donut holes. Those were a must.

When Tohma focused the center of the storm around the special voodoo pin that he had gotten from Mika, the storm swirled itself to a fine point and revealed the image that Tohma had been seeking. Except the picture showed something that made Tohma scream bloody murder and fall flat on his rump.

This sapphire was golden, yes. His hair was a gorgeous blond and his eyes were the same. The moonlight showed his features clearly. However, the moonlight also showed the figures of the younger man in his arms. And the younger one had bright pink hair.

"THE PRINCE!" screamed Tohma upon his discovery after he had come to his senses after the initial discovery.

"What?" said the parrot in a quiet voice. He was still out of breath.

"The…the…the…PRINCE. With…with…with…" stuttered Tohma, completely in shock.

"With what you idiot?" answered the parrot irritably. He was too tired to be bothered with Tohma's stupidity.

"With the guy."

"Oh, you're real specific. Not worth my time." Said Caspian bluntly as he scuttled back over to his cage to sleep.

"I have to tell Mika…" said Tohma quietly. "Wait…she'll have him killed immediately for this…this…indiscretion. I need him to get that lamp…"

"Just have him arrested already. You are supposed to be keeping this place safe dumbass." Said the moody parrot from his sleeping perch. "You don't need a reason. You have connections with that numbskull Tatsuha."

"Aha! I have an idea!" said Tohma excitedly. "I'll use my amazing skills of deceitful and deceptive manipulation to control Tatsuha so he'll arrest the sapphire dude. And bring that idiot of a slut home."

Caspian just rolled his eyes in return. He was used to Tohma's idiotic power tripping by now.

"I'll just write a note for Tatsuha to give to Shuichi and then everything will work out perfectly…" muttered Tohma with his signature evil Tohma glint returning to his rather feminine face.

* * *

"Captain! We've just received orders from Tohma to arrest someone!" said a guard that was standing next to where Tatsuha was still lying on the ground. "Judging by the description I'd say he's the one associated with Ryuichi."

"His name is Yuki Eiri." Answered Tatsuha dryly. He didn't want to go after the other one. He wanted to find Ryuichi.

"Shall we go then, sir?"

"Yes, yes."

"Oh, Tohma also sent a note for you to give to the prince."

"What does that idiot have to do with this?" asked Tatsuha with peeking interest. The prince did look kind of like Ryuichi…

"The thief, Yuki, is charged with kidnapping."

"Oh…whatever. Let's just get this over with." Said Tatsuha. He didn't have the energy to be excited after his scrape with Ryuichi. Heck, he didn't even know if he had the energy to walk.

* * *

"What does this mean?" asked Shuichi timidly after he had slumped against the wall next to Yuki.

"First of all, there is no 'this' and second it means that I merely tolerate your existence." Answered Yuki curtly but with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"What?" asked Shuichi in a hurt and scared tone.

"Heh. You're too easy…" replied Yuki with a glint in his deep golden eye. "Hmm…double entendre…"

"So…what now?"

"You ask too many questions…" said Yuki in a very low voice as he advanced on Shuichi. "From here on out, no more talking…"

"But-" started Shuichi but he was interrupted by a quick kiss from Yuki.

"Trust me…you'll be better off without speaking." Replied Yuki.

Shuichi again tried to respond but Yuki clapped and hand over his mouth and pushed him against the wall. Kissing Shuichi again, Yuki started to move his hand south under the boy's silk shirt, but he was interrupted by some loud clanging noises coming from outside.

"Ignore it…this is more important…" said Yuki darkly as he turned back to Shuichi to continue where he had left off. He was nearing desperate. Ever since he had been put on the most wanted list, no woman in the city would come near him. Shuichi was a very good chance and he didn't want to pass up the opportunity.

"But Yuki…" said Shuichi as he slid away from Yuki and towards the door. "Yuki!"

"What now?" said Yuki in a hurt tone. His chance had escaped and he felt like banging his head against a wall or maybe, just maybe, shedding a tear. But only one.

"It's Tatsuha!" exclaimed Shuichi as he started rapidly backing up in an attempt to get away. "They've found me!"

"Found you? Oh, I don't think so, he's always after me!" said Yuki while he reached for and grabbed Shuichi. "Just stay behind me…"

"You don't understand! I'm the pri-" said Shuichi hurriedly, but he was silenced by Yuki pulling him over to the window.

"Get over here!" ordered Yuki as he prepared to toss Shuichi out the window.

"NO! You'll kill me!" said Shuichi as he tried to resist.

"What, don't trust me?" asked Yuki with sarcasm.

"No! I trust you!" answered Shuichi brightly.

"Then get going." Replied Yuki as he pushed Shuichi out the window and casually followed after him.

His plan had been foiled however. Ryuichi was waiting at the bottom and was tied up. Tatsuha had caught up with him and had discovered the secret escape route. Two guards grabbed Shuichi and threw him against a wall and the remaining four focused on Yuki. He had been known to cause quite a scuffle in the past.

"Leave him alone!" Shuichi screamed when he saw the guards hit Yuki hard enough to bring him to his knees.

"Well, well, well…a pocket sized street rat…" said Tatsuha, completely forgetting why he was supposed to arrest Yuki in the first place.

The guards ignored Shuichi's orders and succeeded in bringing Yuki completely down to the ground. After he was tied up as tightly as possible, they turned to await orders from Tatsuha. Tatsuha merely snapped his fingers and a guard slammed Shuichi into the nearest wall. Then he told everyone the plan.

"Take him to the palace…Tohma's orders."

"And the other two?" questioned the guard in charge of the prisoners.

"Leave them out of this…" muttered Yuki in a weak voice while he tried to find Shuichi in the gloom of the alleyway. "You have me, consider yourselves lucky…"

"Shut up!" said the guard directly over Yuki. "I say we should take all three, captain."

"Whatever…take the one over by the wall…I'll take Ryuichi."

"Yes sir!" said the guard promptly as he reached for Yuki's arms.

And then Yuki found where Shuichi was. The boy was lying face down in the ground and wasn't moving. The guard that had smashed him into the wall was nudging him with his foot and getting no response.

Ryuichi on the other hand was engaged with an avid conversation with Kumagoro who was tied up next to him with his own guard. Yuki struggled to get up, but the guard just pulled him to his feet and started moving him towards the palace.

Then hope came in the shape of a very angry pink haired fireball.

"How dare you…do you have ANY idea who I am!?" screamed Shuichi after he had pushed the guard's foot off of his back and risen to his feet. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Umm….you can't talk to us like that…" muttered a guard while another guard moved to secure Shuichi.

"Release them or…or…or…" stuttered Shuichi as he tried to think of the worst thing he could possibly threaten. "OR I'LL POKE YOU."

"Oh my god…it IS you." Said Tatsuha as he walked over to Shuichi. "Only you are THAT stupid…your majesty."

"Majesty?" whispered Yuki in astonishment.

"Release them Tatsuha. NOW." Said Shuichi, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Sorry…no."

"What? I gave you an order! I'm the prince! You HAVE to listen to me!"

"Tohma has power over you and I'm following his orders. Here's a note to explain the finer details in case they exceed the limitations of your tiny mind…'

"Stop insulting me. Release them." Answered Shuichi as he took the note from Tatsuha.

"Take it up with Tohma if you have such a problem with it." Said Tatsuha as he grabbed Ryuichi and Kuma and started walking out of the alley. The guards with Yuki followed him.

Shuichi had no response to Tatsuha. He looked with sad eyes at Yuki being dragged away and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'. Yuki avoided his eyes and turned his head away. Thus was the proper way to treat royalty…or the way you get shunned after you've pissed off Yuki Eiri.

"Yuki…" said Shuichi to the empty alley.

* * *

I'd like to thank my good friend Cathy for helping me with fixing the cliché of the line "Do you trust me?" and also for allowing me to use her copyrighted word, "scuttled".

Sorry about all the re-uploading confusion. I have it fixed, and I explain it all at the end of Chapter 5.

-Amaya


	5. Chapter 5

Shuichi remained in the alleyway for some time, thinking about everything that had happened. He finally knew how he felt about Yuki…he loved him. The more he tried to talk himself out of it, the more it became a reality to him. The very small practical part of his brain was screaming at him that he had just met Yuki and it wasn't reasonable or possible to feel so strongly for him. But he did.

It wasn't just Yuki's looks. Yes, he was absolutely amazing, but there was something more to Shuichi. It wasn't just the kiss either. Something about Yuki drew Shuichi in. And now Shuichi had ruined everything by running away. It was his fault that Yuki had been arrested, and his friend Ryuichi with him. Shuichi felt horrible. The note from Tohma didn't help. It read:

Shuichi –

I've taken the liberty of ordering the arrest of your newfound _friend_. I'll also have you know that you are expected to return to the palace immediately or I'll have to take even more drastic measures. Think of this as your entire fault, because it is.

P.S. Don't expect to see him again. If you attempt to, I'll have to tell your stepmother and I don't think anyone within fifty miles wants that to happen.

Tohma, the Royal Vizier

Of course Shuichi expected to see Yuki again; he had to rescue him. It had been his fault in the first place that Yuki got arrested. And besides, he was in Yuki's debt. Yuki had not only saved him from the guard but also had given him a place to stay for the night.

Shuichi had a plan; he was going to save Yuki and live in the city. Hopefully with Yuki, but Shuichi wasn't going to count on it. Yuki seemed pretty antisocial. But Shuichi had decided how he felt and he had to act quickly in case something bad happened. Hopefully Yuki was fine…but Tohma could have done anything. With his new plan in mind, Shuichi set off at a quick pace for the palace.

* * *

"What, no witty comments this time street rat?" asked one of the guards escorting Yuki. "You're usually full of them."

Yuki gave the guard no response, even though thoughts were flying through his head and giving him a headache powerful enough to kill. He couldn't believe that Shuichi was royalty, let alone the prince. Everyone knew about the prince; he was the only son of the dead Sultan and the Sultana had been trying desperately to marry him off for the last year.

Most had never seen the prince because the Sultana never let him leave the protective walls of the palace. Supposedly the prince was as cruel as the Sultana, but Yuki knew this to be an absolute falsity. The prince he knew was an idiot and Yuki feared for the continuation of the royal line.

But his feelings for Shuichi had over gone a dramatic change. He had started out as a liability and had turned into a piece of meat. And then some feelings had evolved, but Shuichi had lied to him and then failed to save him. Yuki was convinced that he should give up on Shuichi, that his anger would only bring the boy harm, but something wouldn't let him. And that just made Yuki even angrier. So of course he couldn't have the fun of antagonizing the guards. He was trying to make his own mind take a breather and stop plotting the murder of a certain pink haired youth.

"Well this is certainly a first. Hey, captain! He's actually being quiet for once." Said the guard that had been speaking to Yuki.

"I'm a little busy…" muttered Tatsuha under his breath. He had been attempting a conversation with Ryuichi since they had left the alley.

"Oh…right." Said the guard, catching what Tatsuha had been up to. He quickly returned his attention to provoking the prisoner. He usually proved to be fun. But then again, the captain making odd attempts at romancing the other prisoner was quite amusing as well.

"So…how long have you been a thief?"

"Kuma doesn't like you." Said Ryuichi with seriousness clouding his eyes.

"Umm…sorry?" said Tatsuha tentatively, not at all happy that Ryuichi's rabbit and best friend was not on his good side.

"It's alright! Kuma-chan forgives you!" said Ryuichi happily while he gave Tatsuha his best smile.

"How about I untie you? Then we Kuma-chan and I can be friends." Posed Tatsuha slyly. He had no intention of becoming friends with Kuma.

"Yay!" squealed Ryuichi excitedly. He had never been to the palace before.

"You there. Take this one to the dungeons. Tohma hasn't released a sentencing yet. And make sure he doesn't get away this time." Said Tatsuha to his other guards while he grabbed Ryuichi's arm and led him into the palace towards the guard's wing.

"Yes, sir." Answered the one of the guards. He had been there the first time they had arrested Yuki, the only time that the guards had gotten him within five feet of a cell. But Yuki had somehow managed to escape quite easily and calmly walked out of the palace without so much as a backwards glance. The guards were making sure that that didn't happen again.

Yuki didn't make a sound all the way to the dungeon though. He was too busy thinking and plotting his revenge against the guards. He couldn't get the prince off of his mind. Part of him still didn't believe it, but the guards' reaction to the boy was a clear-cut sign. And on top of all of that, Yuki didn't appreciate being lied to and tricked by anyone, let alone someone as stupid as Shuichi had appeared. But his feelings were continuing to evolve, making Yuki angrier still. He didn't want to care for anyone, let alone someone he could never have.

The guards wasted no time in making sure that Yuki was securely locked up. His arms were chained, and that chain was attached to the dungeon wall. The chains were thicker than usual, and Yuki himself was convinced that he wouldn't be getting out of this on his own. Looking around the dungeon, he noticed that Ryuichi and Kumagoro hadn't been brought in.

"Odd…how did he escape if I couldn't…?" pondered Yuki quietly after the guards had left. "Maybe he's still around…"

Yuki stopped talking after that as the dungeon was extremely cold and he didn't want to waste energy speaking. He very soon lapsed into a dreamless sleep. He wasn't cut out for dungeons.

* * *

Ryuichi was having the time of his life. Not only was the palace more amazing than he had ever dreamed, but also he had found someone to play games with; Tatsuha. So far they had played a round or two of hide and go seek plus a lively game of tag and duck, duck, goose. Two hours after his arrival Ryuichi was still going strong. But Tatsuha was passed out on the floor. He hadn't counted on Ryuichi having so much energy.

"Hey, Ryuichi…let's play a different game…" said Tatsuha with an exasperated tone.

"Yay! Another game, another game! Game, game, game!" said Ryuichi energetically while he bounced over to Tatsuha.

"Do you ever run out of energy?" asked Tatsuha while he attempted to stand up.

"Nope!" answered Ryuichi as he ran into Tatsuha at full speed, knocking both of them onto the bed. "What game, huh? What game?"

"Ohhh…" groaned Tatsuha. He was sick of being tackled. But then he realized where he was and who was sitting on him. It was all he could do not to pass out from sheer happiness.

Ryuichi didn't give another response; he just continued to stare at Tatsuha with a wide-eyed expression. He loved games.

"Here's the game…" said Tatsuha, getting ready to explain the rules. "Ah, never mind. I'll just show you." With that, he leaned up towards Ryuichi and kissed him on the lips.

After Tatsuha stopped, Ryuichi stared at him and then returned the kiss.

"TAG! You're it!" said Ryuichi as he ran out of the room. Obviously he had assumed the new game was a slight variation of tag. And then he wondered if Yuki would want to play. "Wait…where is Yuki?"

Ryuichi then set out to find Yuki so that he could play the game. Tatsuha followed close behind, eager to expand on his new game.

* * *

Shuichi reached the palace twenty minutes after the guards did. He was currently still on the warpath and was hunting for Tohma. He had a bone to pick with him.

"TOHMA!" screamed Shuichi to the empty palace while he stomped through it. "GET YOUR FEATHERED ASS OUT HERE!"

Tohma had been waiting for such an order, and came out from the pillar that he was hiding behind.

"Yes, prince?" asked Tohma politely, trying not to anger Shuichi anymore than he already was.

"Where is he?" asked Shuichi as he crossed his arms.

"Where's who?" asked Tohma innocently. Caspian snickered from his hiding place in the boa.

"Don't play dumb with me! You left me a note and everything, you idiot!" said Shuichi dangerously.

"Oh…that one. If you had listened to my note, you wouldn't be asking…" said Tohma thoughtfully, enjoying the rare anger that Shuichi was exhibiting.

"I don't care! I just want to see him! You don't understand, I…I…" said Shuichi with tears coming to his eyes.

"Stop. You're too late. And it's still your fault." Said Tohma with a serious voice. He was under obligation to make Shuichi's life horrible anyway, so this opportunity to guilt trip him was perfect.

"What do you mean too late?" asked Shuichi worriedly.

"I've already had his sentence carried out."

"He wasn't charged with anything!" cried Shuichi.

"You should learn more about someone before moving in with them." Answered Tohma, getting ready to gauge Shuichi's reaction.

"I didn't move in with him! And I know plenty!" answered Shuichi indignantly. "Now tell me where he is!"

"No, you don't know anything. He's on the top of the most wanted list, he's been a thief for six years, and he's a notorious womanizer. You don't know anything and you don't need to know where he is, or was."

"Was…?" asked Shuichi.

"Under the charges of thievery and kidnapping royalty, Yuki Eiri was sentenced to death. The charges were carried out immediately." Said Tohma with more than a hint of glee.

"No!" gasped Shuichi as he clapped a hand over his mouth and slowly started backing away. "You…you…didn't…"

"Oh but I did. Remember this next time you go sneaking off on your own. Just be glad I didn't tell Mika; you'd be dead too. Have a nice day then." Answered Tohma as he walked back over towards the little used broom closet that he and Caspian called home. "If you have a problem, don't bother taking it up with anyone."

Shuichi stood in the room, shocked. He couldn't believe that Tohma had had Yuki killed. Nor could he believe the things that Tohma had said about Yuki. But then again, Tohma was right. Shuichi didn't know anything about Yuki, except that he had caused his death. Shuichi felt terrible, and the nagging feeling surrounding his heart didn't help matters at all.

Then the tears came. He ran out of the palace and into the welcome trunk of Cinda. He stayed with her for an hour at least, crying his eyes out. And then suspicion started poking him in the subconscious. What if Tohma was lying? What if Yuki was just in the dungeon? Denial was his new favorite word. He set off at a quick pace, hoping to find Yuki unharmed and alive.

As he snuck through the palace, Shuichi was suddenly aware of voices echoing down the hallway. And one sounded familiarly like Tatsuha's. The other was dripping with energy and bouncing off of all the walls in the palace. Shuichi quickly ducked behind a plant to avoid being seen.

"I think Yuki wants to play too!" said Ryuichi energetically as he bounced down the hallway.

* * *

This takes place right after Tohma and Caspian have a nice little one-hour nap to celebrate their impending victory.

* * *

"Alright Caspian…we need to get our costume ready for this." Said Tohma as he casually stuck his head out of the lair to check the hallway to make sure that Shuichi had disappeared. "Let's go. The coast is clear."

"And why do we need costumes brilliant one?" posed Caspian irritably. He had been denied his daily bath and was cranky.

"So that we can't be identified by the prisoner…" hissed Tohma under his breath as the duo crept out from their infamous hiding spot.

"Whatever. At least you got the prisoner. I don't think I've ever seen one of your plans flow so smoothly. I'm almost proud." Said Caspian with sarcasm. "But where are we going to get the costumes?"

"From the prince of course."

"Are you insane Tohma?! We don't want him to know what we're up to you dolt!" screamed an enraged Caspian. Stupidity in his vicinity is not permitted.

"Of course I'm not. The prince is probably with that elephant. We'll just slide into his room and still a costume…he has plenty."

Five minutes later the two found themselves outside of Shuichi's room.

"We need to find something that won't leave too much of an impression…" said Tohma quietly to Caspian. "We don't want to leave a memory…"

"Good luck with that notion…" answered Caspian as he eyed Shuichi's closet. So far he had seen a dog suit, a sumo outfit, a suitcase with holes for the head and arms, and a giant banana suit. "It looks like a freak show exploded in here."

"I think the big yellow one should work…"

"Are you crazy Tohma!? It's a giant banana!" shrieked Caspian.

"Would you just shut up? I'm wearing this one. You can hide inside the peel." Hissed Tohma while he watched the door for any signs of movement.

The stupidity of his owner was just too much for Caspian to stomach so he decided to keep quiet and let everything be for once. And besides, a giant banana was definitely the easiest choice out of that wack job closet. After Tohma had put on the costume and Caspian had joined him, the two quickly set off for the dungeons to meet the sapphire.

The dungeon was guarded by one man. He wasn't especially bright, and Tohma didn't have any trouble sneaking past him, even wearing the ridiculous costume that he had stolen from Shuichi's closet. The duo descended into the inner sanctum of the dungeon and was almost frozen to the bone. Caspian was the only one there that could complain of the heat, seeing as he was nestled under Tohma's hat.

It didn't take Tohma long to find the sapphire. The man was sprawled in his cell and appeared to be unconscious from the cold. Tohma carefully approached him and gently nudged him with his foot it an attempt to wake him up. It took Tohma a good five minutes to rouse the prisoner. Caspian was beginning to get quite impatient and had already been silenced by Tohma three times.

"Ah, finally you're awake. Your name is Yuki Eiri, no?" asked Tohma professionally.

Yuki couldn't believe his eyes. He was being asked him name by a giant banana. His only thought of explanation was that he must have delirium from the cold.

"What the hell?" asked Yuki drowsily as he tried to stand up. The chains painfully held him back.

"If you want out of here, listen to what I have to say." Said Tohma in a mystical voice while he swayed back and forth in his ridiculous banana suit.

In response Yuki only stared. And raised one eyebrow in a skeptical expression.

"No really. I can get us out of here."

"And why would you want to do that? People don't do something for nothing." Replied Yuki, doubting the banana's words.

"Because I need you."

Again, Yuki gave no response. He was convinced, however, that he must be delirious. It appeared to him that he was being hit on by a banana.

"Are you still listening? I need your help." Said Tohma, trying to smooth things out.

"I don't offer my help willingly."

"Then I guess you'll rot here."

"Guess I will." Replied Yuki stubbornly.

"You little…" whispered Tohma. He hadn't counted on him not agreeing. "Fine, fine…please come with me? Please, please, please?"

"No. Especially not after that." Said Yuki as he sighed. Now the banana was begging him. It was not a good night for Yuki.

"There'll be treasure…"

"Alright, I'm listening. What kind of treasure, banana?"

"Umm…interesting treasure…" replied Tohma while he thought back to the yo-yo and the vinegar bottle that had assaulted him.

"I'm in, I suppose. Anything's better than staying here." Said Yuki. Tohma unlocked his chains with a special key that only Tohma could have laid hands on. He's a wily piece of fruit he is.

"Then follow me…I know a secret way out…" said Tohma cleverly as he slunk to the main door.

"I think you're going the wrong way…the guard will see you…" muttered Yuki in frustration. This fruit was not smart.

"No, no. You'll see." Answered Tohma. With that he approached the guard and started a conversation. The guard only stared in amazement.

"Ummm…uh…." Stammered the shocked guard. He didn't remember seeing a banana brought in.

"So our arrangement is good then?" asked Tohma.

"I don't make arrangements with pieces of fruit…"

"It's me you idiot! I'm Tohma!" hissed Tohma quietly so that Yuki couldn't hear him.

"Then what's your bird's name?"

"My name is Caspian you insolent twit!" said Caspian from underneath Tohma's peel.

"Sorry, my liege…"

"Whatever. Just move." Answered Tohma. He was eager to get moving.

The trio left the dungeon and headed for the palace gates. It had been around two hours since Yuki's arrest.

* * *

Ryuichi scrambled down the dungeon steps as quickly as possible. He had left the guard standing bewildered in his stead. To his dismay, Yuki was gone. Ryuichi ran around the dungeon searching, but to no avail. His friend had disappeared. He hugged Kuma and ran back to Tatsuha with tears in his deep, blue eyes.

* * *

After watching Tatsuha and the energetic one disappear back down the hallway, Shuichi walked over to the dungeon. The guard bowed low and allowed him to enter. Shuichi went right to the high security cells. But no Yuki. He too fruitlessly searched the dungeon but could not find his midnight rescuer. With a calm resolve that he didn't know he had, he walked out of the dungeon and started running towards the palace gates. He couldn't stay here any longer. Especially after Yuki's death.

* * *

I was just checking the chapters out, and dude. I screwed up. I replaced Chapter 5 with the content from Chapter 6. Last night, I hadn't found the root of the problem and instead uploaded a gigantic Chapter 4. …I have to stop trying to fix problems at 3 AM. Bad plan. Now that I have things all squared away, there should indeed be a proper Chapter 4, 5, and 6. Whew. At least I hope so…

-Amaya


	6. Chapter 6

Yuki wasn't known for bitching and moaning, but then there was the desert. He hadn't exactly lived a pampered life as a street rat. And he wasn't calling himself a pansy. But there was sand. A lot of it. And it was getting in his hair.

"How far away is this place? I wasn't expecting this." Yelled Yuki to the ambling banana that was a few paces ahead of him. "And why did you need me to come with you?"

"Umm…because I have a bad back." Answered the ever quick-witted Tohma. He hadn't exactly thought of a foolproof plan. He felt Caspian chewing at his ear and heard him cackle ever so quietly.

"Bad back, eh? You seem pretty capable to me." Returned Yuki sullenly. He had decided that he really hated sand. With a passion. "I think you're lying."

With that Tohma halted in his tracks and turned to face Yuki. He stopped short. The blond man looked quite angry. His once fine hair had clomped into clumps littered with sand, his once smooth face was gritty, and his gorgeous eyes were narrowed with anger and displeasure.

"Uhh…I…I'm not a liar! And hey! I sprung you out of prison!" replied Tohma after he recovered from the startling image of the sapphire. The desert wasn't treating his features so well.

"Whatever..." said Yuki. He then turned inward to study his thoughts of earlier. He had caught a glimpse of the prince before he left the palace with the idiotic banana.

_Shuichi had been half running and half walking down the hallway with tears in his eyes. He and the banana had paused to watch for any interruptions. The prince stopped about ten feet away to catch his breath and almost collapsed from the tears that were racking his body. Yuki had already worked himself back into his previous rage and even earlier lust and was going to approach the boy, but a shadow coming down the hallway stopped him in his tracks. He hadn't wanted to be caught._

_The shadow belonged to the other prince, Nakano. Yuki recognized him from their meeting in the street. Yuki still remembered the conversation that progressed quite clearly._

_"Trying to sneak out again?" asked Hiro._

_"I don't know anymore…" replied Shuichi without caution. It had appeared to Yuki that he didn't care anymore._

_"Shuichi…?" Hiroshi had asked quietly, sensing the need to be concerned._

_After that Shuichi had broken down and told Hiro the entire story. Everything. He started with why he had run away, his meeting a handsome street rat, but before he could explain his tears, Hiro interrupted him._

_"You should just accept this." Said Hiroshi in response. His eyes were masked by the answer, and it was carefully calculated. He had caught a glimpse of an intruder behind him. He didn't want to make things worse._

_"No! I won't! It's my life, not hers, not yours!" returned Shuichi angrily._

_"Have you ever considered what she'll do to you or the fact that you have no say in this whatsoever?" replied Hiroshi. He could see that his words were causing Shuichi pain, but they lacked any real conviction. He glanced quickly over his shoulder._

_"I don't care…I'll die before I marry you, or give in to her…" said Shuichi, the fiery light leaving his eyes._

_"You know…I'd feel sorry for you if it wasn't for the elephant. When we leave, IT doesn't." said Hiro. His voice now held a tone of light sarcasm. He again looked up and down the hallway._

_"Dammit, I'm not going anywhere with you, you insensitive jerk!" yelled Shuichi, instantly becoming the raging fireball from earlier._

_"Alright, alright. She's gone." Said Hiro calmingly as he glanced up the hallway again._

_"She? So what, you're crazy and a complete ass?" returned Shuichi._

_"No. The Sultana. She was here, listening. Didn't you see her?"_

_"No…I think you're lying to me."_

_"Why would I lie? You're not the only one that hates this place." Answered Hiro with a touch of anger. "Do you honestly think that I came here by choice? No. And do you really think I want to pursue you? No. You already turned me down…and I'm not really a jerk…I was just trying to protect myself. And for that I'm sorry." Spouted Hiro quickly, trying to get everything off of his chest at once._

_"That clears things up…" said Shuichi through sniffles._

After that the two had turned to leave back up the way Hiro had come, and the banana had grabbed Yuki and dragged him along. Looking over the conversation, Yuki suddenly felt that he couldn't be angry. Shuichi had had to lie to him. And it wasn't necessarily his fault that this Tohma fellow outranked him. Not to mention that the boy had been right; they were the same. Both trapped. Just as suddenly as he had had this thought, his anger towards Shuichi faded entirely, leaving only feelings that had evolved in the night. His face plunging into a sand dune brought him out of his stupor.

As he stumbled to his feet, he noticed that the banana had come to a halt. And gigantic mound of sand was in front of him, providing an interesting silhouette.

"This is where you come in. I can't enter the cave." Said Tohma dramatically to Yuki. "Come closer."

"First of all, you never mentioned that, and second of all don't tell me what to do-" Yuki was stopped in mid sentence. The mound of sand had suddenly become animated.

A giant tiger's head had risen out of the sand at the prompting of the banana. Yuki was completely enthralled with the tiger's head and didn't hear the approaching footsteps. He and the banana weren't alone within the desert, and neither of them knew it. Their pursuer was the sneaky sort.

* * *

An hour earlier…right after Yuki and Tohma leave the palace.

"I can't believe he's gone…" said Ryuichi sadly to Kuma and Tatsuha.

"Eh, they probably had him executed…pretty standard." Replied Tatsuha nonchalantly, eager to get back to the earlier game.

"No…" said Ryuichi. Except his voice wasn't sad. "No…look! Footprints."

"They're not his. He's dead, just accept it."

"I WILL NOT. My captain needs me." With that, Ryuichi dashed out of the main gate and into the streets of Agrabah. He had a friend to find.

* * *

"This is the cave…I need you to go inside. Just get me the lamp and then the rest of the…the…treasure is all yours." Said Tohma as he gestured towards the cave. He glanced towards Yuki while he said this and noticed a shadow flying over the desert sands. "Umm…what is that?"

"What is what?" posed Yuki slowly as he turned around. Before he could even begin to look over his shoulder, he was tackled from behind by a blurry figure.

"YUKI! Kuma and I found you! You're not dead!" squealed Ryuichi while he held tight to Yuki's chest.

"GET OFF ME DAMMIT!" yelled Yuki. He didn't like to be touched and he was not in the mood to deal with Ryuichi. He was sharply reminded of Shuichi.

"Sorry, Yuki..." muttered Ryuichi quietly. He hadn't expected much more, but still. He had traveled a long way just to see Yuki. He reluctantly let go of his friend and caught sight of the giant banana. "Oooo…a banana…"

"The time has come. Get in there!" said Tohma, starting to lose his composure. He wanted that lamp. Badly.

"Don't tell me what to do!" returned Yuki angrily.

Tohma would've replied, but his response was cut off entirely by a booming voice coming from the cave.

"You know whom it is that I seek. Only the sapphire may enter here…"

"I have brought him…" answered Tohma with dignity. Yes, bananas can be dignified. "This is your cue."

"Who wishes to enter here?" demanded the cave with authority as Yuki drew towards the entrance.

Yuki didn't bother with a reply and instead glared at the cave and motioned Ryuichi forward. Sensing the right choice, the cave opened its large mouth and allowed the duo to come forward, warning them to touch nothing but the lamp. Tohma anxiously awaited the moment of entry from his spot in the sand. Caspian just wanted to go home. It was past his bedtime and he was one cranky conure.

Yuki held his breath and stepped forward. Ryuichi cautiously followed. After Yuki had proceeded forward two or three more steps without suffering any harm whatsoever, Ryuichi bounded forward with a yell and tumbled down the stairs with Kuma waving in the air as he went.

"They had better get that lamp…or we're dead…" muttered Tohma to Caspian.

"Correction. You'll be dead. I can fly." Answered Caspian haughtily as he stretched out on his back in the midst of the green boa that was now out from underneath the banana suit.

* * *

Back inside of the cave, temptation was slowly killing Yuki. Among the clutter of yo-yo's, vinegar bottles, and bird's nests, there was gold. And gems. Lots of them. But the cave had specifically said that nothing besides the lamp was to be touched. Yuki would've rather had his stomach turned inside out than have to face this torture. He had never seen such wealth in all of his life.

"Damn…" whispered Yuki to himself.

"Hey, hey, hey! Yuki, Yuki, Yuki!" said Ryuichi excitedly. He had spotted something of interest. There was a brightly colored rug rolled up in a corner and Ryuichi was enthralled.

"What is it now?" said Yuki with a sigh. He had only been called over in that fashion about fifty times in the last ten minutes.

"It's a…a…piece of carpet…" said Ryuichi with his eyes wide and bright.

"I see that."

"And there's a gigantic panda on here…" said Ryuichi, still captivated by the rug.

"I don't care Ryuichi. It's not a lamp. It's not gold, and it's not worth anything."

"Hey! That's not very nice, Yuki. It's a very pretty rug…Kuma likes it…" said Ryuichi. He was quite upset that Yuki had been so mean to the rug and to him throughout the trip. It was about time for some Ryuichi Revenge. "Oh Yuki…YUKI!"

"What now?!" yelled Yuki back while massaging his forehead. Ryuichi was giving him the mother of all headaches.

"I found a person…with pink hair…hey, he kinda looks like me…" said Ryuichi with seriousness in his voice.

"What?" said Yuki immediately as he ran back over to Ryuichi. "Where?"

"Just kidding."

"That's not funny…"

"Then you should apologize to the rug, lover boy."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" replied Yuki as he turned to walk away from Ryuichi and back to the only discovered path. "I don't love him."

"Sure you don't…"

"I DON'T!"

"Whatever…" said Ryuichi, eyeing a pretty gem he had found sitting next to the carpet in question. The game was over to him.

Just as Ryuichi turned to leave, the carpet unrolled itself and started to hover over the pair.

"Yu…Yu…YUKI!" screamed Ryuichi as the carpet swayed in his direction.

"I am tired of your little game, Ryuichi. NO MORE. I am NOT looking anymore, I am NOT listening to you." Replied Yuki with a slight snarl.

"But-"

"NO!" screeched Yuki. He was tired, and he was in a bad mood after Ryuichi's earlier trick.

As Ryuichi was forming his reply to Yuki, the carpet swooped down and grabbed Kuma. It then flew back behind the pile of gold where Ryuichi had found it. Ryuichi burst into noisy tears and sat down in the middle of the path.

"What now?" drawled Yuki, not even bothering to turn around. This wasn't uncommon coming from Ryuichi.

"I WANT MY KUMA!" bawled Ryuichi from his spot in the path.

"You have 'your Kuma' dumbass."

"KUMA KUMA KUMAGORO!" Ryuichi yelled at the top of his lungs. A piece of rock dislodged from the ceiling and smacked Yuki in the head. The carpet flew back out from behind the gold and hovered just behind Ryuichi.

"THAT'S IT! SHUT THE FU-" Yuki stopped mid sentence as he turned around to face his screaming compadre. There was a rug flying behind his head holding on to Kuma. Not to say the least, Yuki was completely flabbergasted. "Wha…wha…what the hell?"

"I want my Kuma…" said Ryuichi with tears welling up in his eyes. "Yuki…"

"Ryuichi…turn around." Said Yuki matter-of-factly. His piercing eyes were focused on the rug that was now swaying behind Ryuichi's head in a sweeping motion.

Ryuichi slowly revolved on the spot. He stifled a scream. The carpet had mutinied against him. And Kuma was being held hostage. Ryuichi did the only thing a sensible adult would do in the same situation. He let out an ear-shattering war cry and tackled the rug.

Yuki decided to step out of the situation and let his thieving friend handle the reclaiming of Kuma on his own. He looked down the long hallway, and then looked back the other way. Suddenly it occurred to him. One of the rarest phenomenon known to the human race was happening; Yuki Eiri was lost.

"Ryuichi. Which way did we come from?" asked Yuki with authority. When hopelessly lost in a talking cave with a man that loves a rabbit and a piece of carpet, one must remember to never let them on to your secret.

"I…don't…know…" said Ryuichi, as he struggled with the carpet. "GIVE ME MY KUMA!"

Yuki turned in both directions, but couldn't remember any distinct landmarks. He was starting to panic. Slowly but surely, he was telling himself, he might just go crazy.

"Ryuichi. WHERE DID WE COME FROM?"

"From our parents Yuki…" said Ryuichi in an exasperated tone as he finally succeeded in rolling on top of the carpet. Without warning, he was suddenly six feet in the air, the carpet having taken flight.

The carpet suddenly barreled towards Yuki with Ryuichi and Kuma in tow. Yuki was still lost in thought, and in the process of figuring out where the hell he was, and in accordance to this, the carpet smacked him square in the back and he toppled over. The poor carpet startled itself and ran into the nearest pile of gold, sending Ryuichi, Kuma, and lots of gold flying in all directions. It took flight and hid behind a stack of rubies. Yuki slowly got to his feet and looked around, afraid of what he might find.

"Ryuichi?" he asked with a hesitant tone.

"I…found…Kuma…" came Ryuichi's weak voice from under a stack of assorted gems. Yuki walked over and hoisted him out.

"Ryuichi, listen to me for once. We're lost. Which way did we come from?" asked Yuki, his golden eyes serious.

"Why don't we ask him?" said Ryuichi brightly, pointing to the carpet.

"Are you insane?! It just tried to kill us!" screeched Yuki, one of his eyes twitching manically.

"Ummm…"

Before Yuki could respond, the carpet came out of hiding and flew towards a doorway that was concealed behind a pile of silver. It started to gesture wildly.

"Come on Yuki!" chirped Ryuichi, grabbing Yuki's arm and pulling him towards the carpet and the door.

Inside his head, Yuki was convincing himself that he was going to kill Ryuichi and hide his body in the charred carcass of the rug. This was not going to work.

* * *

Alright. Came back through to edit this chapter (found a plot point that needed editing) and accidentally screwed _everything_ up. It's all explained in Chapter 5, so if you're reading this, you probably know what I'm talkin' 'bout.

-Amaya


	7. Chapter 7

Half an hour ago, Yuki had put his precious life in the hands of a flying rug. And with every step that he took, he was regretting it tangibly. He swore that his heartbeat would never be normal again. His nerves were shattered, and he was almost beyond the point of caring. It'd been a really bad day.

He'd been arrested, propositioned by a banana, dragged across a desert, tackled yet again by Ryuichi, shoved into a cave, attacked by a flying rug, and the worst of all, he had experienced..._feelings_. He sighed audibly, and moved to catch up with Ryuichi, who was now seated on top of the rug and screaming every time it accelerated.

He stumbled after the rug and Ryuichi and suddenly he found himself in a giant cavern. The splendor of the previous passages was forgotten. The place was trashed.

In the past it might have been splendid, but now the huge room was marred by the scars of explosions and cave ins. Yuki nervously glanced around the room, expecting to see some kind of dragon leap out at him. He was half counting on it, with the day he'd somehow lived through.

Ryuichi casually hopped off of the carpet, with the look of someone who did it every other minute. He then walked over to Yuki and stared at him carefully, right in the eye. Yuki noted that

he was standing on his tip toes to accomplish this impressive feat.

"Yuki. We need to talk about something. I was thinking about this a lot while the Rug Man and I were flying along…" started Ryuichi seriously.

"Rug man? Are you freaking kidding me? Jesus, Ryuichi, it's a piece of carpet!" said Yuki exasperatedly to Ryuichi. The carpet threw a rock at him in response.

"This is serious. And the carpet has feelings too."

"Apparently, if a stuffed rabbit –" replied Yuki sullenly. His head hurt from the well-aimed rock, and the last thing that he needed was a talk with Ryuichi.

"Leave Kuma out of this, you big mean-…no…no…I said that this was serious." Said Ryuichi, his eyes changing dramatically towards the second half of his speech. "Have a seat, esteemed friend."

"There is no seat, dumbass. And I'm not your friend."

"Of course you are, and our fellow traveler would be happy to be seat. He knows how important this is." Answered Ryuichi, acting like a prim and proper doctor. The expression on Yuki's face was truly a sight to behold.

Yuki reluctantly sat on the now low hovering carpet, and fixed his piercing gaze to Ryuichi.

"We have work to do, you idiot. We don't have time to talk about how you're in love with a rabbit."

"Aha! You've discovered a little bit about the topic of our meeting here today, Yuki-san. Love. What a word." Said Ryuichi, as he adjusted non-existent glasses.

"What the…We do NOT have time for this crap, and you have no business talking about things that you don't understand and I don't care about."

"I know plenty, and you do care. If you didn't, you wouldn't look so sad. And you wouldn't have reacted so violently earlier, when I tricked you about your Prince."

"He's not mine, and I forbid you to mention him again."

"You wish he was yours. Now that we've established this…" said Ryuichi quickly, overriding Yuki's stuttering protests, "we need to discuss the birds and the bees."

Yuki couldn't discern a response out of his befuddled mind. He couldn't believe what Ryuichi had just said to him. Pushing the recurring image of Shuichi's face out of his mind, Yuki paused to reflect on what Ryuichi had just said.

"The birds…and the bees?" asked Yuki, standing up in slight agitation. "Shut up, Ryuichi."

"Well, I guess that it would technically be the bees and the bees for you…but whatever." Said Ryuichi matter-of-factly, ignoring Yuki's anger.

"I am not talking to you anymore. Ever." Said Yuki rather quietly, as he walked away, towards the center of the room. The mention of Shuichi had shaken him, visibly. But the attempted sex talk by Ryuichi hadn't even registered.

"Yuki, we need to talk about this! Come back!" shouted Ryuichi, not realizing the mistake he had made in mentioning the Prince. "Yuki?"

Yuki didn't give Ryuichi the time of day as he continued to stoically ignore him. Ryuichi's tone quickly turned to a whine, and caused Yuki to stalk off even deeper into the cavern.

"YUKI!" screamed Ryuichi as loudly as he could. "TALK TO ME!"

As Yuki turned around to scream back at Ryuichi, rocks started to fall from the ceiling, one or two large ones landing dangerously close to Yuki.

"Yuki, Yuki, Yuki!" shrieked Ryuichi as he ran toward Yuki in a frantic. "I'm so sorry!"

"Get…away…from…me…" said Yuki menacingly. His death had almost occurred yet again because of his foolhardy companion.

Ryuichi's response was cut-off by the carpet flying in between the duo and gesturing wildly to the middle of the room. The falling rocks had triggered a response in the landscape. A large staircase had spiraled out of the cavern, and on top, a rectangular box was present.

Yuki glanced through the gloom and started to pick his way across the room. He had to step carefully, however, as the debris from the obvious destruction was widespread. If he hadn't of been Yuki Eiri, he might have been scared to be setting out into the room unaccompanied. Instead, he ordered Ryuichi and his inanimate friends to remain behind.

At the foot of the spiraling staircase, Yuki took a deep breath and stepped forward. Nothing obviously horrid befell him, and he continued on, secretly relieved. Near death experiences were really starting to get annoying.

Near the entrance, Ryuichi was restless. Yuki had gone up the stairs a little way, but Ryuichi was under orders to remain behind. He danced around in frustration. His short attention span did not allow him to sit still. Unless Tatsuha's hat was involved…but the playful guard was definitely not in the cave. Ryuichi groaned loudly and started to look around.

On a pillar to his left, something was shining. It was the most beautiful light that Ryuichi had ever seen. And within the heavenly glow, rested the most fascination thing that Ryuichi had ever laid eyes on…a yo-yo. Yuki had reached the halfway point of the stairs.

Ryuichi advanced on his quarry with a gleam in his eye. The carpet looked around anxiously, but by the time that he spotted Ryuichi, the thief was inches from the yo-yo. The rug flew faster than ever before, and seized Ryuichi by the seat of his pants and pulled with all of his might. Ryuichi yelled indignantly.

The noise caused Yuki to freeze on the stairs. He was a mere three steps from the odd rectangular object, but something was happening down in the cavern. And then he found Ryuichi with his piercing eyes. His assistant was holding on to a ledge with both hands, and being pulled backwards by the accursed rug. He had stuck his tongue out in an attempt to reach the object that was escaping his grasp by an astonishingly meager distance. Yuki turned away, trusting the rug to babysit.

He continued up the staircase and reached the box. In large case and bold letters several words were written. DANGER: EXPLOSIVE. GUN CASE. Yuki cocked his head to the side, and stared at the box. He ran his hand along the supposed front, and eventually his long fingers felt the outline of a handle. A lock was absent, and as he took another step towards the case, his foot found the remains of it. He took another deep breath and opened the door. He closed his eyes and waited for death to befall him. Below, the rug was losing his battle against Ryuichi.

The door opened to reveal the grandeur of dust and cobwebs. Yuki opened one eye and it suddenly glared around after taking in the contents of the case. He cautiously put his foot into the case and knocked around some of the rubble. A curiously shaped object lay underneath all of the dust. He picked it up with one hand and looked it over. It was filthy, and shaped like an L, with a curve underneath the corner. It was gold, underneath the grime, and had rubies and emeralds inset into the frame. As he moved to rub the grit off of the object, his attention was stolen away by a loud band. Ryuichi had reached his goal at long last, and was playing happily with the yo-yo. Within seconds, a loud roar erupted from the bowels of the cave. It was obviously angry.

Yuki took a few quick steps down the staircase, and the room started to quiver. The stairs vanished, turning into a makeshift slide. Yuki let loose a yell and slid down the slide, faster and faster, until he reached the bottom. The ceiling was spewing rocks and gigantic cracks in the ground had appeared. Steam rose in spirals out of them.

"What have you done, you, you fool!?" screamed Yuki as he ran towards the still smiling Ryuichi. Ryuichi, noticing the change in the room for the first time, burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, Yuki…"

"It's too late for that, get moving!" yelled Yuki over his shoulder as he ran for the entrance of the room.

When Yuki reached the entrance, however, it had become blocked by several rocks. Not two feet from him, a boulder three times his size fell, and shattered the doorway in its entirety. Yuki turned around and glanced around the room desperately. They were trapped. And then everything got worse. The steam had evolved into lava.

* * *

"Goodnight, Shuichi." said Hiroshi as he closed the door leading to Shuichi's room. Even though the boy had expressed no interest in him whatsoever, he couldn't help but to notice how amazing he looked in the moonlight flooding the hallways they had just traversed.

"Goodnight Hiro." answered Shuichi with some melancholy in his voice. Even though he was relieved about the Hiro situation, he couldn't help but to cry over what he had lost. He had never met, or lost, someone as amazing as Yuki.

The moonlight flooded the palace as Shuichi collapsed in another fit of tears and Hiroshi whistled as he walked back to his own room.

* * *

"It's taking them too long…I can't stand this…" muttered Tohma under the starry sky.

"Don't get your panties in such a bunch Tohma. They'll get you your damn lamp…" replied Caspian with his bird eyes closed as he lay on the feather boa spread out over the sand. He sighed and snuggled in deeper while he flipped over onto his back.

"Caspian!" shouted Tohma, flapping his arms wildly. "You're not allowed to be calm!"

"Whatever…" said the bird as he drifted back to sleep.

"Hey Caspo…my little birdface…" cooed Tohma softly, switching into his plotting mode.

"Bugger off. I am sleeping." returned the parrot with a touch of anger. His eyes remained closed.

"Why don't you flap your gorgeous self into that cave, eh?"

"I said NO Tohma. No, no, no, never!"

"Don't forget who feeds you…" hissed Tohma.

"Just stand still and wait for them. I'm sure they'll come back…" said Caspian soothingly. In his imaginative mind, he was seeing Tohma grabbing him by the tail feathers and throwing him into the empty darkness that was the cave. He shuddered and snuggled deeper into the boa.

"Fine, be that way…" replied Tohma bitterly. He sighed and mentally resigned himself to the waiting game. "Stupid, slow, sapphire…"

In his mind, Tohma turned over everything that had led up to this moment. He and Mika had been together in their secret way since before the death of the Sultan. He had been the Royal Vizier for five years, when the Sultan had remarried. The Prince had been seven.

Since the Sultan's death, the couple had talked of marriage, and then onto a family, and world domination of course, but an obstacle stood in their way. Shuichi had to be married off before the Sultana could sever her ties to the family, and take on a new name. Agrabahnian law had specified so years and years ago, and Mika did not have the power to alter it.

For the last six months, princes from far and wide had shown up at Mika's command, seeing as Shuichi was too stubborn to force out of the city to look for a princess. In tangent to this plot, Mika had come across the legend of the genie in her various studies. Tohma had confirmed it, and had spent years trying to find the location of the lamp. Finally, here he stood.

But, as he had recently discovered, he had been unable to enter it himself, or by using a petty thief. And now the fate of his future, and probably his head, was in the hands of a street rat. He sighed. Something was bound to go wrong…he could feel it.

* * *

"What'd we do, what'd we do, what'd we do YUKI!?" screamed Ryuichi frantically as he ran around the cavern. "There's red stuff!"

"That would be molten lava, you idiot, and how the hell am I supposed to know what to do?!" yelled Yuki back as he continued running in place, looking for some solution.

The room shook underneath their feet, and Yuki could feel himself stop breathing. He was going to die here.

"YUKI!" shrieked Ryuichi as the lava started to bubble up more rapidly. "YUKI!"

Hearing his name shouted in such a tone broke Yuki out of his reverie. He shook his head and looked over his shoulder at where Ryuichi was standing. Beyond his fellow thief, the large rock where he had found the surmised 'lamp' stood out clearly.

"Ryuichi! This way!" he shouted at Ryuichi before running for the mound.

Ryuichi didn't bother responding and seemed to morph into the super human that he could become at will. He veered left and grabbed Kumagoro and then proceeded to follow Yuki up to the mound. The lava was now beginning to cover the floor, and he had to jump and land precariously in some spots.

The duo reached the mound, and Yuki started to climb up the edge, avoiding the slick slide that he had nearly killed himself on earlier. Ryuichi, however, lacking this knowledge, ran straight up the slide and dropped Kuma in his struggle to hold himself up.

"KUMAGORO!" screamed Ryuichi as he made a desperate dive for the rabbit and missed hideously. "NOOOOOOOOO!"

The ocean of lava bubbled maniacally below them.

* * *

"It's been over three hours Caspian! I'm tired of waiting!" said Tohma exasperatedly. He was a very impatient vizier.

"I don't really care…" said the conure lazily as he pushed himself further into the boa.

"Well you should. Five more minutes and you're going in after them whether you want to or not." Said Tohma with a clear matter-of-fact air about him.

"What?! NO! I said I wasn't going in!" screamed Caspian as he pushed himself as far as he could into the lime green feathers. His tail was the only remaining sight to see.

"Four minutes, forty five seconds…" hissed Tohma softly as he eyed the maroon tail in his boa. Caspian uttered a few shrill parrot noises and squawked indignantly.

The stars above shone on brightly, and continued to illuminate the scene. Tohma abandoned counting the seconds until his threw his bird into the cave. He was getting a headache…he just so happened to be allergic to math.

He started pacing. Caspian made parrot noises every time that Tohma traversed the sand around the boa.

"Sooo...bored…" gasped Tohma as he walked around the cave entrance over, and over, and over again. "Casp…"

The only response was a mixture of unintelligible squeaks and mutterings.

* * *

Yuki swung down from the rock he was sitting on just in time to grab the falling rabbit, earning himself an impressive battle scar in the process. A bullet of lava had erupted from the sea below them and seared a white-hot gash into his wrist. He shuddered slightly and tossed the rabbit to Ryuichi.

"Here. Now get moving." Said Yuki with a pained voice.

Ryuichi again didn't respond. He snuggled Kuma into his shirt and started to scale the mound next to Yuki. They reached the top without too much incident, but the lava was rising up with them.

"Yuki…we're going to die, aren't we?" asked Ryuichi timidly, with a hint of seriousness.

"We are NOT going to die…" answered Yuki in a strained voice as he nursed the stinging wound on his wrist.

"Yuki…" said Ryuichi quietly. "I'm really sorry…"

For a reply, Yuki just looked at Ryuichi and smiled ever so slightly.

"I know everything was my fault…and I know I shouldn't have touched the ruby…" rambled Ryuichi, completely missing Yuki's small smile. "And I know I shouldn't have teased you about the Prince…"

"Stop."

"I'm sorry…" said Ryuichi again, in a dejected tone. Looking up, he saw Yuki's expression, the smile still lingering. "YUKI!"

Without any hesitation, Ryuichi threw his arms around Yuki's neck, almost knocking the pair off of their high perch. Above, the frantically searing carpet finally located the duo.

"Get off of me…" snarled Yuki menacingly, afraid to push Ryuichi for fear of tipping him into the lava that was getting closer by the second.

"But you smiled!" squealed Ryuichi, hugging Yuki tighter. "That means you love me!"

"I do NOT love you, and I swear I will throw you off of this rock if you don't let go of me!" screamed Yuki, now trying to pry Ryuichi off of his neck.

Ryuichi reluctantly released Yuki's neck and took a step away from him. There were tears in his eyes and he looked very upset. He slowly picked up Kumagoro and turned away from Yuki. Upon doing so, he spotted the rug circling lower and lower.

"Yuki! Look!" exclaimed Ryuichi, forgetting the exchange that had just taken place.

"I'm not speaking to you." Replied Yuki shortly, turning towards Ryuichi slowly, afraid of what he was apparently supposed to by looking at.

Yuki turned around and saw the carpet coming ever closer. Ryuichi was jumping up and down in excitement, completely oblivious to the lava that was only three feet away from swallowing the rock. The carpet came down to the level of the rock and Ryuichi climbed on and seated Kuma next to him.

"Come on, Yuki!" said Ryuichi hurriedly from atop the carpet.

Yuki approached the carpet with caution, still distrusting of the rug. He looked to the side, trying to think up another way to get to safety, but before he had a chance to do any deep contemplation, Ryuichi grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him halfway onto the carpet.

"Go Rug-Man!" he ordered, and finished dragging his unhappy cohort on top of the carpet.

The carpet accelerated from its position and started to gain altitude. After circling the cavern once, a way out was not apparent to any of those on the rug. The steam was becoming unbearable, and the lava had started to spurt higher than before. Through the haze, Yuki could see that the steam was leaving the cavern through a small opening. He gestured this to the carpet, and it took off toward the aperture.

* * *

"That's it. You're going in there." Said Tohma resolutely after finishing a pacing routine that had lasted for fifteen minutes. "Get going, bird."

For once, Caspian made no response as he was currently hiding behind a rock, having abandoned the feather boa in an attempt to hide. He crouched down into the sand and waited for Tohma to come back to his senses.

"Get out here, Caspian." Mandated Tohma as he grabbed the feather boa and started to shake it vigorously. "BIRD!"

Tohma spent the next ten minutes searching for the parrot, but had no luck. At the end of it, Tohma's hair was coated in sand, he had stubbed his toe tripping over a rock, had shredded half of his boa, and still had no sign of his bird.

"Dammit all…" said Tohma in a defeated voice. Suddenly, the cave began to shake and there was a loud cracking noise from within. He ran to the entrance and saw the two street rats speeding towards him on a piece of carpet. In the heat of the moment, Tohma's stress caught up to him and he burst into tears. His future was flying toward him on a rug.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuki couldn't believe his luck; he was going to live through this fiasco. Before he had time to finish his happy thoughts, the carpet made a crash landing in the sand and he was standing at the feet of the banana. He couldn't wait for this roller coaster from hell to let him off.

"Ah…you have my lamp, I presume?" asked Tohma in his silkiest voice.

"This it?" asked Yuki laconically, swinging the lamp by one finger, just out of the banana's reach.

Ryuichi stood miraculously still, with the carpet hovering behind him while Yuki handled the remainder of the situation. Caspian poked his head out from behind the rock to watch the proceedings, and muttered commentary to himself.

"Good, very good. I'll just take that off of your hands…" said Tohma, edging closer to Yuki by the second.

"Oh, I don't think so. You owe me. This was no pleasure cruise." Responded Yuki curtly. He'd decided long ago that he was a royal idiot to have left prison.

"I sprung you out of that prison, we're even you conniving little…"

"I'm not little."

"Give me my lamp, or…"

"Or what? You're a piece of fruit for god's sake." Responded Yuki while he put the lamp behind him, out of the banana's reach.

"I'm no fruit, I'm the Grand Vizier!" yelled Tohma, his voice saturated with indignation. Upon realizing his mistake, he gasped audibly.

"Oh, really now. That's interesting." Said Yuki. "Wait…you're the one that had me arrested!"

"Uhh…" stuttered Tohma. He hadn't anticipated this turn of events. "I…I…"

"You what, thought you could get away with this? I should kill you!" snarled Yuki, beyond anger at this point.

Tohma couldn't respond directly, being too afraid to face the incredibly ferocious Sapphire in front of him, and instead meekly gestured to Caspian.

"It was all his idea…" Tohma whispered, unable to talk coherently due to fear.

"Oh that's original. Blame the stupid parrot."

"Excuse me? Who are you referring to as a, what was it, 'stupid parrot'?" Caspian sniped at Yuki, not feeling especially happy about having his intelligence questioned.

Yuki stared at Caspian for a good long minute before he had the coherency to speak. It had been beyond a long day for Yuki, and the cause of all his trouble was standing right in front of him.

"It's all your fault…" Yuki finally responded. He turned to face Tohma, not wanting to deal with the subject of a talking parrot. "You…you…"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" replied Tohma as he backed away from Yuki and away from the cave.

"I hate you." Yuki answered, looking more than a bit disconnected. "I…hate…you…"

"Yuki?" quipped Ryuichi. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine…" replied Yuki as he started to advance on Tohma.

"Yuki?" Ryuichi asked again. "Yuki?"

"Not now…I have to kill a banana…"

"You shouldn't kill him…that wouldn't be nice…Kuma doesn't like it when you're not nice Yuki…" replied Ryuichi, trying to grab Yuki's arm to stop him.

Yuki didn't answer Ryuichi and instead easily shook him off and picked up a rock. He moved towards Tohma with an evil glint in his golden eyes.

"Yuki!"

Again, no response. Tohma let out a squeak and tried to wield Caspian as a weapon.

"KUMAGORO BEAM!" screamed Ryuichi, throwing Kuma as hard as he could at Yuki's head.

The bunny bounced off of Yuki's head and knocked him to the ground. Tohma fell over backwards and Caspian swooped behind a rock. Ryuichi calmly walked over to where Kuma was laying and picked him up. He brushed the sand off of the bunny and turned to Yuki.

"Feel better now?" Ryuichi asked Yuki, who was sitting on the ground looking dazed.

"Yeah…thanks." Replied Yuki as he stood up and shook the sand out of his hair.

Yuki walked over to Tohma and prodded him with his foot until he came around and stood up.

"I want amnesty for this lamp. Unconditional. I never want to be arrested, harassed, or chased ever again. Are we clear?" Yuki stated firmly to Tohma. This was better than death, anyway.

"Hey! What about me and Kuma?" asked Ryuichi from the background.

"Fine. For both of us." Returned Yuki, playing with the lamp in his hand. Tohma, now that he was once again standing, did not look happy at all.

"That was not part of the agreement, you know that!" Tohma spat at the triumphantly-posed street rat.

"Then I think I'll just hold onto this little beauty, what do you say?" Yuki smirked as he finished the sentence and started to juggle the lamp in midair.

"You…you…" stuttered Tohma, his face turning bright red with the effort of containing his anger.

"Yes?" asked Yuki, inclining his head toward Tohma with a smirk. "Can I help you with something?"

"That's my lamp…" snarled Tohma.

"Correction. This is _my _lamp." replied Yuki, still taunting Tohma.

"Fine, fine…I'll grant you both amnesty." Said Tohma, realizing this was the only way to get his lamp back.

"Tohma! What are you doing?!" hissed Caspian in Tohma's ear. He had returned at one point during the conversation. "Don't let him win!"

The gears in Tohma's head started to spin, and he was blessed with a grand idea. He smiled at Yuki and restated his acquiescence to the proposal.

"What about Kuma?" asked Ryuichi quietly, tears starting to pool behind his eyes. "Kuma's too soft for prison, Yuki!"

"Don't tell me, tell him." Yuki replied coolly.

"Alright, alright. The rabbit too." Answered Tohma. "Just hand over the lamp and I'll draw up the documents."

"Draw it up first. I don't trust you." Yuki said suspiciously from where he was standing. Ryuichi was standing behind Tohma, brushing sand off of Kuma's bowtie.

"I don't take orders from street rats." Muttered Tohma menacingly. He was tired of being bossed around, and he was getting sick of seeing his master plan falling apart.

"And I don't take orders from pieces of fruit." Yuki returned sarcastically, tucking the lamp into his pocket. "I might as well keep this seeing as we can't seem to reach an agreement."

That said, he started to walk off into the desert, back the way they came.

"Wait!" Tohma yelled.

"I'm listening…" Yuki hissed. He quietly watched Tohma, and glanced at Ryuichi, who was still stationed behind Tohma.

Tohma sighed, and rubbed at his eyes. This situation was completely out of hand. He was making deals with a prisoner. His master plan was completely destroyed and flapping in the wind. The lamp was just out of reach, behind a ridiculous agreement. His parrot was being insolent. And to top it all off, he had destroyed half of his boa searching for the said parrot.

Tohma took a quick look around, and started to panic. There was no tasteful way out of this. Unless…the gears in his head started to turn, and he smiled a classic Tohma grin at Yuki. All he had to do was convince Yuki to turn over the lamp before he signed the paper that would free both of the criminals from future imprisonment.

"I'll gladly sign the paper that releases you from any criminal responsibility for the rest of your lives, but you have to give me the lamp first. It's necessary." Tohma said in a silky voice. He was doing his best attempt at being trustworthy.

"No dice. I want the papers." Yuki spat back. "I'm getting tired of this. Draw up the damn papers or I'm keeping this piece of junk."

"A compromise is obviously called for." Tohma returned, trying to formulate an alternative.

"Obviously, dumbass." Caspian hissed from his spot on Tohma's shoulder.

Yuki stared sullenly at Tohma, waiting for him to cave.

"How about this –" Tohma managed to say before Yuki cut him off.

"No, how about this: give me the papers or I'll destroy the lamp. Does that sound good to you?" he posed in a menacingly sarcastic voice.

"Fine! I'll give you the papers but I'm not signing them until you give me the lamp!" Tohma yelled with a little bit of arm flapping. His patience was teetering on the edge of a knife.

Yuki stood still for a moment and thought over the compromise. He didn't really have any other choice, and he knew it. The vizier in banana's clothing wasn't going to budge.

"Alright." Yuki finally replied. He watched Tohma gather some papers from inside the ridiculous costume, and then he wandered over to the entrance of the cave.

"Here." Tohma said after a five minute period of silence and writing. "Here are your damn papers." There was a definite edge to his voice now.

"Let me see them." Yuki returned, reaching out for the papers and keeping the lamp safely tucked behind his back.

Yuki glanced over the papers, noting the Royal Vizier's stamp in the corner. There wasn't anything missing from the legal jargon, and Yuki folded the papers and put them into a pocket. He pulled out the lamp and casually tossed it to Tohma, who dove for it frantically.

"Now sign the last page." Yuki said to Tohma. "It wasn't included with the ones that you gave me."

"About that…" Tohma answered, an evil glint shining in his eyes.

With one fluid motion Tohma was standing in front of Yuki and had him backed into the entrance of the cave. A sudden explosion caused part of the ceiling to fall in, blocking off the main chamber form the lava. Tohma reached forward and grabbed Yuki's shirt, pulling him close.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yuki asked Tohma, trying to keep his balance. His feet were only halfway on the desert ground.

"No witnesses." Tohma answered, malignity showing on his face. "If I get rid of you, no one will find out you're not dead."

"Not dead?" Yuki asked, not understanding Tohma's words.

"Oh, it's SO shiny!" squealed Ryuichi from right behind Tohma. "Look Kuma-chan!"

Tohma whirled around, almost letting go of Yuki's shirt. Ryuichi was holding his lamp.

"You…I…Give me that!" Tohma screeched, as Ryuichi started playing with the lamp.

Tohma tried to make a move for Ryuichi, but was weighed down by Yuki. He was about to release his shirt when the street rat slapped him across the face. Tohma, took a step backwards, watching as Yuki regained his footing. Yuki stepped forward, wanting to finish the fight that he had started. Without warning, however, Tohma walked up to Yuki and shoved him as hard as he could. Yuki shot Tohma one astounded look before he toppled into the cave's gaping entrance.

For five seconds, nothing happened. Tohma stared at the cave entrance, Ryuichi kept hold of the lamp, and Kuma hung in the balance. Caspian was silent for once.

"TAG! You're it!" squealed Ryuichi, tapping Tohma in the shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" Tohma asked in a startled tone. "Your friend is most likely de-"

"Catch me if you can!" Ryuichi squealed. He ran away from Tohma and jumped into the entrance of the cave.

"NOO!" Tohma shrieked, and ran to the entrance. He was speechless. They were both going to die, and take his precious lamp with them.

"Mika's going to kill me…" Tohma said to the empty night sky.

* * *

"So you don't want to be here either, then?" Shuichi asked from his comfy bed. Neither had been able to sleep, and Hiro had wound up in Shuichi's room.

"No, but I agreed to coming just to get out of that place." Hiro replied looking up at Shuichi from the floor.

"Was it as bad as this place?" Shuichi asked, leaning back into his pillows and sighing.

"Not quite…my mother doesn't want me dead, and the Royal Vizier is planning world domination." Hiro responded.

"Lucky you."

"I suppose…" Hiro said. "But my palace isn't near as interesting as this one. We don't have any elephants."

Shuichi didn't reply, and instead was staring at the ceiling with a dazed look on his face.

"Shuichi?" Hiro inquired, slightly worried about his new friend's mental state.

"Hmm?" Shuichi whispered back, completely absorbed in his thoughts.

"Are you alright?"

"Sure…"

Hiro got up from where he was sitting and looked at Shuichi. He was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling, not noticing anything around him. Hiro poked him in the foot and got no response whatsoever. He moved up, and poked him in the stomach, and then in the face. Still no response.

"Shuichi?" Hiro asked firmly, concerned.

"What?" Shuichi said finally, snapping out of his coma. "What's going on? Who died?!"

"Wha? No one died, you wouldn't answer me."

"Did I miss something?" Shuichi asked, scratching his head and staring around the room with a goofy smile on his face.

"Maybe you should go to bed…" Hiro said, pushing Shuichi back onto his bed. "You need sleep."

"Yeah, sure thing…" Shuichi said, turning to go to sleep. "Night, Hiro…"

"Sleep well." Hiro said, and exited the room. "That was strange…"

Hiro shrugged his shoulders and walked back down the hallway to his own room. He had a feeling that this was only the beginning of insanity.

* * *

Shuichi sighed again, and rolled over. He couldn't get Yuki out of his mind.

"Hiro probably thinks I'm insane…" Shuichi said to himself, putting an arm behind his head for support.

Ever since he had found the dungeon empty, he hadn't been able to rid his mind of the image of Yuki. He was completely stuck on the street rat, and everything that had happened that night. Whenever he thought of Tohma, the hatred burned inside him, but just one thought of Yuki extinguished all anger with a wave of sadness.

He felt guilty; responsible for the death of his midnight rescuer. He was dead because of him. The thought made him start crying again, and he frantically dabbed at his tears. He hated to cry like this. Spontaneously was fine, but when he was in real pain, he felt like his heart was being ripped in two. He gasped for breath and tried to stop the tears. It was hopeless.

The only thought of relief was that he hadn't broken down in front of Hiro. The man probably thought he was insane already, what with the giant elephant, but now he was assured in his thinking. He tried again to stop the tears, and failed. Looking out his window, towards the moon, he stopped fighting his feelings and let the pain course through him.

* * *

"Hey…hey Caspian?" Tohma asked quietly, innocence choking out through his voice.

"Don't even think about it." Returned the cranky parrot. He was way overdue for some Fruit Loops.

"Just fly down and see if they're dead!"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No way!" Caspian answered. Instead of waiting for Tohma to throw him into the cave, he jumped off of the man's shoulder and took off for Agrabah. He was sick of the sand.

"Get back here, Caspian!" Tohma yelled into the night. The bird was long gone. "Dammit all…"

On that note, Tohma gathered his boa and the costume and set out for Agrabah. The street rats were dead, and his lamp was gone. He sighed, and started walking. As he started to walk away, the ground shook. He turned around just in time to see the cave entrance collapsing on itself. Even if the street rats had somehow survived, they'd never get out now. He looked up at the stars, and the early sunrise, and again started walking back to the Palace.

* * *

I never, in all my wildest dreams, thought that this post would take me this long. Sorry about that guys. College is a time suck. Thanks for the reviews!! Caspian thanks you as well, though he would prefer donations of Fruit Loops. Catch you on the flip side...or at the end of the next chapter.

-Amaya


	9. Chapter 9

Yuki hated the feeling of freefalling. He hated being unable to control where he was going, what was going to happen. The fall from the entrance of the cave was much longer than it looked, seeing as the staircase had collapsed. He turned around right before he hit the ground, and was picked up by the carpet. The rug swooped underneath him just in time to save him.

Without ceremony, the rug dumped Yuki on the ground and flew up again. Yuki watched the rug fly up, and saw a dark shape land on it. He thought that he had heard Ryuichi yell something after he fell, but he couldn't remember for sure. He got to his feet as fast as he could, and got ready. The shape could easily be the crazy Vizier.

The rug landed again, and carefully laid its load on the ground next to Yuki. Ryuichi sprang up and dusted off Kuma carefully.

"Kuma doesn't like falling, Yuki." Ryuichi said seriously.

"Ryuichi?" Yuki questioned, eyeing his assistant.

"But…but look! It's so shiny!" Ryuichi said, mostly to Kuma. "See Kuma-chan?"

"What are you talking about? There's nothing shiny about this place…." Yuki said drearily. He looked around the cave, and sighed. There was no way out.

"This is shiny, Yuki!" said Ryuichi. He pulled the lamp out from behind his back and showed it to Yuki. "Ta da!"

"What the…" Yuki muttered, unable to understand how Ryuichi had ended up with the lamp. "How the hell did you get that back?'

"I'm sneaky, Yuki!"

"Apparently…" Yuki returned, still looking for a way out of the cave. "Help me find a way out, Ryuichi…"

"Maybe the shiny thing can help!" Ryuichi squealed, feeling very pleased with himself.

"Stop messing around and help me look!"

Ever stubborn, Ryuichi couldn't let the lamp go. He started to walk behind Yuki, but he was still holding on to the lamp. As he followed his friend, he let his fingers wander over the surfaces of the lamp in his hands. He was busy prying at a partially dislodged ruby when he slammed into Yuki's back.

"Would you watch where you're going!?" Yuki yelled at Ryuichi, spinning around to see what had caused the collision. "Give me that!"

Yuki snatched the lamp from Ryuichi in an attempt to inspire him to focus. Instead, Ryuichi sat on the ground and screamed for the lamp.

"GIMME IT BACK YUKI!" Ryuichi howled at the top of his lungs.

"Knock. It. Off." Yuki replied through gritted teeth. This was the last thing that he wanted. He pocketed the lamp and continued to scan the cave for a way out. He looked up and noticed that the opening he had fallen through was completely blocked off.

"GIMME THE SHINY!" screamed Ryuichi from the ground. When Yuki didn't respond, Ryuichi jumped up and started to run after him. "GIMME THE LAMP YUKI!"

"I'm not giving you the god damn –" Yuki returned before Ryuichi jumped on his back and knocked him over. Yuki tried to throw Ryuichi off, but had no luck. Ryuichi was frantically searching for the lamp and Yuki was trying to stand up. The carpet hovered above, watching the duo fight.

Yuki rolled away and Ryuichi fell off. The two stood up, and faced each other; Yuki was absolutely livid. Ryuichi was still trying to figure out how to get the lamp back.

"It's a stupid lamp! Snap out of it, you idiot!" Yuki snarled, beyond angry with his subordinate.

"IT'S NOT STUPID, YUKI!" Ryuichi screamed back as he lunged at Yuki again.

Yuki tried to dodge Ryuichi's attack, and failed miserably. Ryuichi tackled him again, and pinned him to the ground. Yuki continued to struggle, but Ryuichi was sitting on his chest. Yuki stopped flailing, crossed his arms, and glared at Ryuichi with full intensity. Ryuichi looked taken aback for a few seconds and then his eyes took on a devious glint.

"What are you thinking?" Yuki asked slowly. He knew when to fear Ryuichi. "Ryuichi…"

Ryuichi didn't answer his captain. He leaned back a little bit and smiled maliciously. He was going to make Yuki pay for stealing the lamp and calling him names. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He reached out a finger and inched it towards Yuki's head.

"Don't you dare…" Yuki hissed, again trying to throw Ryuichi off.

Ryuichi continued to inch his finger closer and closer to Yuki's head, and without warning, started to ferociously tickle Yuki's ears. Yuki screamed in a horrid high pitched voice and catapulted off of the cave's floor. When he spun around to face Ryuichi, Yuki was doing a good impression of an enraged bull.

"You're dead." Yuki snarled, advancing on Ryuichi. He no longer cared about whether he lived or died, whether or not he ever saw the light of day again, or anything else. All he wanted to do was to inflict as much pain on Ryuichi as humanly possible.

"Yuki, I got the lamp back!" Ryuichi squealed.

Yuki stared at Ryuichi for a second and got a new idea. Instead of physical pain and torture, he could just take the lamp away and destroy it. He walked up to Ryuichi and snatched the lamp from his hands in one fluid motion. The only problem was, Ryuichi was still holding onto the second half of the l-shaped gun. Yuki yanked his half of the lamp again, but only succeeded in pulling the small, curved piece in the center of lamp.

A loud bang erupted from the lamp and knocked both Yuki and Ryuichi off of their feet. A few rocks fell from the ceiling, and the lamp started to twitch where it had fallen. Smoke billowed out of one end and sparks started to shoot everywhere. Ryuichi stood up and started to dance in place, unable to contain himself. Yuki scooted backwards and tried to stay out of range of the shooting sparks.

Yuki blinked a few times, trying to clear the smoke from his eyes. He could barely make out a shadow moving around inside the clouds of smoke, and he didn't know what would happen next. He stood up slowly, and continued to watch the smoke and the shadows therein. Ryuichi continued to hop around, waiting for whatever was coming next.

Yuki heard some clicking noises and a few hurried footsteps. He started to brace himself, but didn't move fast enough. Without warning, a cold, metal object was pushed against his head and he was shoved into the cavern wall.

"I want answers." A voice said, and the metal thing was pushed harder against Yuki's head. "And you're going to give them to me."

"What the hell…" Yuki managed to stutter.

"Who are you?" the man asked, sounding serious.

"None of your business…" Yuki muttered.

"He's Yuki! And I'm Ryuichi, and this is Kumagoro, and, and this is the Rug Man!" Ryuichi said excitedly, running up the stranger and wringing his other hand.

"Well nice to meet you!" the strange man said, withdrawing his weapon. "I'm K. Mr. K."

"Yay! A new friend Yuki!" Ryuichi said, bouncing over to where Yuki was standing.

"Nice to see you again, man." K said with a smile, walking over to the carpet. They did a complicated hand shake, or hand and tassel shake, and K turned his attention back to Ryuichi. "Well, I suppose you're my master now."

"What?" Yuki asked, startled. Ryuichi should never have control over anything.

"I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to him." K answered, giving Yuki a stern look. He motioned to Ryuichi with the metal object in his hand. "He's the one that pulled my trigger."

"Trigger?" Yuki asked again, looking for some sort of an answer.

"Yes, trigger." K returned. He walked over to Yuki and handed him the metal thing. "This is the safety…this is the trigger, and this is how you shoot something."

With no warning whatsoever, K grabbed the thing back from Yuki and aimed it at his foot. He pulled the trigger and a loud bang erupted from the object. Yuki yelled and jumped about five feet, and when he turned around he was not happy.

"THAT'S IT! I'M SO SICK OF YOU PEOPLE! I CAN'T HANDLE THIS ANYMORE!" Yuki screeched, looking rather unhinged. "STOP TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"I haven't tried to kill you, Yuki!" Ryuichi said, running over to Yuki and giving him a hug.

"You're the worst of them all!" Yuki yelled putting distance between himself and Ryuichi. "I…I…"

Yuki stuttered some more, said a few incoherent threats, and ambled off into the cavern. Ryuichi and K watched him go, and after a few minutes of quiet time, Yuki walked back over to the group. His hair was disheveled and his left eye was twitching, but otherwise, he looked pretty stable.

"They were only blanks…" K said, attempting an apology. "Don't get your panties in such a bunch. Just take a deep breath and…"

"And what?" Yuki snapped, not appreciating the 'panties' comment.

"And take a deep breath and yank." K finished, a smile on his face.

Yuki sighed, and turned away, wanting more time to collect himself. He couldn't believe his luck. In one day, he'd been propositioned by a banana, dragged across a desert, attacked by Ryuichi, hugged by Ryuichi, given the sex talk by Ryuichi, attacked by a flying piece of carpet, almost boiled alive in lava, threatened by the same banana, faced with a talking parrot, pushed to his apparent death by a crazy vizier, trapped in a room with Ryuichi, the bunny, and the carpet, and now, the insane man from the lamp thing had tried to kill him and accused him of wearing panties.

Yuki sat down on the floor and waited for something good to happen.

"So what is that thing?" Ryuichi asked, prodding the metal thing in K's hand.

"It's called a gun." K answered, putting the gun back in its holster. "You shouldn't point it at people…especially not Yuki-san."

Ryuichi nodded seriously and glanced over to where Yuki was still sitting on the ground. Now he was rocking back and forth ever so slightly. Ryuichi waved at Yuki, who didn't notice, and turned back to K to continue chatting.

"Where did you come from, K?" Ryuichi asked, curious as ever. "Kuma wants to know."

"Kuma?" K asked, looking at Ryuichi skeptically.

"Yeah! Kuma-chan!" Ryuichi said energetically, hoisting the rabbit up and making it wave at K. "See? Kuma!"

"Right. Well Kuma-chan, I came from the lamp. This lamp here…" K answered, picking up the gun-shaped lamp and handing it Ryuichi. "And because you summoned me from it, you are my master for a time."

"Summoned…I don't like big words…" Ryuichi replied, looking perplexed.

"You pulled the trigger." K answered matter-of-factly. "Oh, and the rules of the lamp stipulate that I give you a preview of what I can do, so…I prepared this little tune during my stint in the lamp…"

At that moment, K took a few steps back from Ryuichi and pulled out his gun. He pulled the trigger and the same smoke show that he had arrived out of showed up. Ryuichi couldn't see him for a second, and suddenly the cavern was echoing with a catchy tune. K stepped out of the smoke, using his gun for a microphone, and dragged Ryuichi into the song.

Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves,

Scheherazadie had a thousand tales.

But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeve

You got a brand of magic never fails!

(K produces forty thieves who surround Ryuichi with swords. Ryuichi pulls out Kuma to beam them, and scatters the thieves. K picks up Kuma and hands him back to Ryuichi.)

You got some power in your corner now,

Some heavy ammunition in your camp.

You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how,

See all you gotta do is pull that trigger in the lamp,

And I'll say-

(During the last stanza, K makes a ring appear with a bang, and throws Ryuichi into one corner. Another bang occurs and Yuki appears in the opposite corner looking startled. Ryuichi starts to run towards Yuki as K starts to fire on Yuki. Yuki jumps out of the ring as K grabs Ryuichi's hand and shows him how to wield a gun.)

Mister Ryuichi sir,

What will your pleasure be?

Let me take your order, jot it down.

You ain't never had a friend like me!

No no no!

(K produces a table and chairs, then proceeds to take Ryuichi's order. K is also careful to ask Kuma what his order is.)

Life is your restaurant,

And I'm your maitre' d!

C'mon whisper what it is you want,

You ain't never had a friend like me!

(K hands Ryuichi Kuma's order, a new red bowtie, and then leans in to hear anything else Ryuichi has to say. With a loud bang, he splits himself into four different Ks, startling Ryuichi and causing him to try to run out of the song. K grabs him and sits him back down in the chair to continue the song.)

Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service.

You're the boss, the king, the shah!

Say what you wish, it's yours! True dish!

How about a little more Baklava?

(The Ks give him a haircut and give Kuma a massage, then K goes back to normal and with another bang makes Ryuichi appear in a comfy chair surrounded by the strange treasures from in the cave, as well as real gold. Yuki sneaks over to one the piles and selects a few items for himself. Another bang and suddenly beautiful girls appear and start to fan Ryuichi. He shrieks and tries to run to Yuki, but is again stopped by K. K then makes two columns of delicious food appear, and Ryuichi sits back down.)

Try some of column 'A',

Try all of column 'B'.

I'm in the mood to help you dude!

You ain't never had a friend like me!

(Ryuichi jumps onto the first food column and tries to eat some before it disappears, but fails and has to jump to the second column. He topples off of that and is caught by K with another comfy chair. Suddenly, a small table appears and K makes himself giant-sized. He opens one of his shirt pockets and pulls out a mini-K. The mini-K starts to dance around on the small table, doing all kinds of little tricks. K then pulls out his gun and blasts the little K to smithereens. Ryuichi is dumbfounded.)

Can your friends do this?

Do your friends do that?

Do your friends pull this out their little hat?

Can your friends go poof!

Well looky here!

Can your friends go Abracadabra, let 'er rip,

And then make the sucker disappear?

(Without warning, K grabs his long ponytail and yanks his head off, creating several duplicates. Ryuichi screams, but is pacified when K starts to juggle them. He tosses one to Ryuichi, who Kuma-beams it back to K. Then K combines them again and turns himself into a hat. An arm comes out and he pulls himself, ponytail first, out of the hat. With another loud bang, he turns into a giant robot panda and launches a grenade. Ryuichi ducks behind a gold pile, and runs into Yuki who is still pillaging. Before he can say anything, K comes waltzing out of the grenade smoke, normal again, with the women from earlier. Ryuichi tries to edge away, but the women make him dance.)

So don't you sit there slack-jawed, buggy-eyed

I'm here to answer all your midday prayers

You got me bona fide, certified

You got a genie for a charge d'affaires!

I got a powerful urge to help you out

So what you wish I really want to know

You got a wish that's three miles long, no doubt

So all you gotta do is pull like so, and oh!

(K acts out what he is accusing Ryuichi of looking like and then throws a list of certifications at Ryuichi. He then runs over to Ryuichi and pulls a list out of his ear, like the old magic coin trick and puts it in his other shirt pocket.)

Mister Ryuichi, sir, have a wish or two or three

I'm on the job, you big nabob

You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend

You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend

You ain't never...had a... friend... like...me!

You ain't never had a friend like me!

(The dancing girls ensnare Ryuichi again, and this time he yells for Yuki's help. Yuki rolls his eyes and walks over to grab Ryuichi when, after a loud bang, the girls' hair colors change to pink. Yuki shoots a startled glance at K, convinced that the genie can read minds. K continues to conduct the antics, completely oblivious to Yuki's look. Yuki shudders, and starts to twitch, his paranoia getting even worse. Before he can become too nervous, however, the girls disappear with another loud bang. K appears suddenly behind the duo and knocks Yuki out of the picture. With a lot of explosions, K transforms the entire cavern. He makes all kinds of elephants appear and they proceed to dance. In the other direction, he makes several other animals appear, and they begin to dance as well. Electric signs appear everywhere advertising Ryuichi's name and the grand finale dance begins. Yuki tries to grab as much gold as he can, but with another bang, K makes everything disappear.)

"Well, what do you say?" K asked, his eyes begging for compliments.

"That was a cheap trick…" Yuki muttered, still a little bit freaked out by the sudden appearance of a Shuichi clone.

"You shouldn't mess with people that can read minds, Yuki-san." K said, a dangerous smile on his face. "What did you think Ryuichi?"

"It was so much fun, huh, Kuma, huh!" Ryuichi said excitedly. "What did you think Yuki?"

"I think you're all idiots. And I'm the one that pulled the trigger, not him."

"Oh really? I think you're lying. You shouldn't be jealous of your friends." K answered, wagging his finger at Yuki.

"First of all, I am not lying, second of all, I am not jealous, and third, he is not my friend!" Yuki responded. Ryuichi gasped and threw Kuma at him as he said the last part. The rabbit bounced off of Yuki's head and Ryuichi considered the matter to be settled. He nodded once and moved on.

"He's right..." Ryuichi said slowly, re-playing the fight over in his head. "He's the one that pulled the trigger…when we were fighting…"

"See?" Yuki snapped.

"Oh…" K said, looking crestfallen. "I can't believe I wasted a song…"

"Whatever. So what do I get out of this?" Yuki asked, wishing that Ryuichi had indeed pulled the trigger and not him.

"No, no, no, Yuki-san! I have to sing you a song too!" K answered, looking much too excited. "I sang it to him, now I'll sing one to you." K clapped his hands and the music started out of nowhere.

"You've had a lot of spare time haven't you?" Yuki drawled, crossing his arms and glaring at K. "And if you sing to me, I'll make you regret it for the remainder of your existence." Yuki glared at K again and the music stopped.

"You shouldn't trifle with cosmic powers. You have no idea what I'm capable of." K responded, looking murderous. He hated when people rained on his parade. "I have an entirely new song prepared just for you, and you don't even want to hear it. With my magic, I could…"

"Right…you could make dancing elephants appear and do other card tricks…very impressive." Yuki answered, looking pleased with himself.

"Yuki! Be nice!" Ryuichi hissed from behind Yuki. Yuki stoically ignored him and continued his dialogue with K.

"Card tricks? CARD TRICKS!?" K shouted, losing his temper.

"You couldn't even get yourself out of that lamp. It's pretty simple really…" Yuki responded, pulling an imaginary trigger to demonstrate.

"I could have gotten myself out!" K yelled back.

"Yeah right. You probably can't even get us out of this cave, can you?" Yuki said back, waiting for K to take his bait. He refused to die here, surrounded by this bumbling band of buffoons.

"Why you…" K stuttered, apoplectic with rage. "Can't even get out of a cave…"

K snapped his fingers and a very large weapon appeared. Yuki crossed his arms again and leaned back on his heels, scrutinizing the display from the sidelines. In the background, Ryuichi squealed something about shiny things.

"This…is a bazooka." K said authoritatively.

He shouldered the bazooka and told everyone to stand back. He pulled the trigger on it, and a large rocket shot out of the end. It flew towards the roof of the cavern. After a loud explosion and lots of dust and rocks falling to the floor, sunlight flittered into the cave. The early morning sunshine was a welcome sight to everyone standing below.

"Hmph. Get on the carpet smart-ass." K said, grabbing the back of Yuki's shirt and tossing him onto the carpet. "Let's blast out of here."

"Woo! Road trip!" Ryuichi yelled, catapulting onto the carpet with Kuma in tow. "Let's go Yuki!"

Yuki didn't give Ryuichi a response and instead settled onto the carpet and discreetly gripped the edges. He could picture this going terribly, and he really didn't want to die at the tassels of a flying piece of flooring. He gulped audibly and shuddered, envisioning his imminent doom. Ryuichi jumped on next to him and K got on the back. The carpet rocketed upwards and flew out of the hole in the roof. Yuki glanced over his shoulder for one last look at the cave where he had spent some of his worst hours. Before he could finish taking it all in, the cave was gone from his sight.

* * *

Oopsie...missed a plot hole. Caspian has officially been fired as my proof reader. Thanks a whole bunch to New Light! I wouldn't have found this one on my own, and I definitely don't trust the Bird Man to catch such things. So, thanks again. You get a gold star. ^^

-Amaya


	10. Chapter 10

The walls of Agrabah had never looked so welcoming to Tohma. He had spent the last few hours straggling back to Agrabah, and had successfully gotten himself lost four times. Caspian had flown home long before Tohma had left the cave. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He adjusted his boa and marched towards the gates of the city. The guards saluted him as he straggled through, having lost the energy to march, and started to head up the road leading to the royal palace.

He still hadn't decided if he wanted to return to the palace right away. Mika was going to kill him for losing the, or her, lamp. He sighed and continued to drag himself up the street. When he reached the stairs leading up the main doors, he looked up and sighed again.

"She's not going to be happy…" he muttered. He started to walk around the palace, heading for one of the back doors. If he came in the front entrance, Mika would know he was back immediately. He glanced around nervously, not wanting to be discovered right away.f

The men standing guard didn't seem to notice him as he rounded the first corner, and he increased his pace. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Ever since he came within sight of the palace, he had felt figurative eyes of the back of his neck. He shuddered and moved on.

Far above, a dark shape shuffled, and continued to watch the man walking below.

"What is that…" Tohma questioned, looking up and shielding his eyes from the early morning sunshine. Up on one of the roofs of the palace, something was moving around. A dark shape seemed to be stalking him. The sun was magnifying its shadow, making it seem much larger than it actually was.

Tohma focused on the task at hand again and continued down the road. He could hear some guards talking and did not want Mika to find out that he had returned yet. He picked up the pace and went scuttling around the next corner. As he was coming around the edge of the palace and nearing the back entrance, something dug a sharp claw into his shoulder and made him scream like a little girl.

"Well howdy." Caspian said in his ear, removing his talons from Tohma's shoulder and shuffling over to his ear. He rubbed his head on Tohma's face for a fraction of a second and then proceeded to groom himself.

"What the hell was that!?" Tohma shrieked, still a little bit scared, but more than anything angry that he had been scared by the likes of Caspian. "You devil parrot…"

"Yeah, that's me." Caspian said, a tail feather stuck in the side of his beak. "What took you so long?"

"I…I…took the long way home. I wanted a change of scenery." Tohma answered matter-of-factly.

"Change of scenery, Tohma? It's a desert." Caspian returned, convinced that he was going to trap Tohma in a lie.

"Well…the sand is different if you-"

"Liar. I bet you got lost, didn't you?" Caspian said with a smirk. "You just couldn't handle life without me, could you?"

"That's enough out of you!" Tohma said, not at all pleased with his parrot. "I can function just fine without you, you insolent bundle of feathers!"

"Hmph. Fine. We'll see about that." Caspian answered, flying off into the distance.

"Great." Tohma said to the empty alleyway. Judging by the parroty cackling he could hear echoing down the street, he was in for some kind of punishment. Caspian was a vengeful pain in the ass. He started to move forward again, and was stopped thirty seconds later by a voice.

"Ah, Tohma-san, you've returned." the voice said, as a shadow moved down the road towards Tohma. "I'll have one of my men alert the Sultana immediately."

"No, no, that's not necessary…" Tohma said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"It's already done, don't worry about it."

"Wonderful…" Tohma said slowly, putting his face in his hands. Through the opening of two of his fingers, he could see the man that had brought about his impending doom. It was Tatsuha. "Ah, Tatsuha."

"Yep. Good to see you're back in one piece. I do have some bad news, however…" Tatsuha answered, putting his arms behind his back and slowly closing the gap between himself and Tohma.

"Bad news?" Tohma asked, scared to know what else plagued his existence.

"Yes…the two prisoners that we apprehended on your orders have…" Tatsuha said, worried about the consequences.

"Have what, Tatsuha?" Tohma said, playing along. He couldn't let anyone know that he was responsible for letting them out and then, hopefully, killing them.

"They've…they have disappeared, sir."

"Disappeared? Why aren't they in the dungeon?" Tohma said, feigning anger.

"Well…we only locked up the dangerous one…the one with the bunny came with me. I was…" Tatsuha answered, not wanting to tell the truth about Ryuichi. He didn't want the rumors of his undying love for the street rat to be confirmed in the presence of the Royal Vizier.

"You were what? Having some fun?" Tohma replied, his dangerous small smile in place.

"No, sir…I was escorting him to his cell." Tatsuha said, surprised at how quickly he had formulated the lie. "He ran off when I turned my head for one second and, well, everyone knows how fast he is…" Tatsuha adjusted his hat and looked up at Tohma with his best smile.

"Alright then. Thank you for telling me." Tohma said back, trying to sound resigned. "How did you know I was back?"

"A little birdie told me so." Tatsuha answered, and Caspian crawled out from underneath Tatsuha's hat and waved at Tohma.

"See? Told ya you couldn't live without me." Caspian said, chortling the entire time. He flew back over to Tohma and gave his thanks to Tatsuha.

"I'm going to get back to my patrol now, sir." Tatsuha interjected, wanting to leave the situation as quickly as possible. He did not want to lose his job for something like this.

"Yes, that's fine. Keep a watchful eye out for the street rats and alert me first if they show up." Tohma returned, looking serious. He didn't want anyone to catch on to him.

"Yes, sir." Tatsuha answered. With that said, he turned back up the road and disappeared into the marketplace of the city.

Tohma sighed and faced the door in front of him. Now that Mika knew he was back, he'd have to report to her immediately. Rather than dealing with an official summons, he opened the door and stalked down the hallway that led to her audience chamber. He threw open the huge double doors and walked up to her throne. He bowed his head, and she dismissed the servants. Now there was no need for formalities.

"Where's my lamp, Tohma?" Mika asked, wanting to see the fruit of her laborious planning.

"Well, about that…" Tohma answered, trying to put off the answer. "You're looking lovely, Mika…"

"Enough of that. Where is my lamp?" Mika snapped, looking impatient. "Let me see it."

"I…I...I sent it off for polishing. It was very dirty from – " Tohma stuttered, offering up any excuse.

"Tohma…" Mika replied, her tone reeking of danger.

"He lost it to the street – " Caspian managed to say before Tohma clamped a hand over his head.

"He's confused, sun sick, doesn't know what he's saying…" Tohma offered, regretting that he had a parrot and not something calmer, like a chia pet.

"You lost my lamp, Tohma?" Mika hissed, getting off of her throne. "YOU LOST MY LAMP!?"

"No, no, of course not!" Tohma answered, backing up.

"Yeah, he lost it." Caspian answered, leaving out the part about the street rats this time. He just wanted Tohma to get in trouble. He didn't want him executed. If that happened, no one would be around to feed him sugary treats.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP FAILING ME?!" Mika screamed, advancing on Tohma.

"I'M SORRY!" Tohma said back, turning around and running.

"Get your ass back here, NOW!" Mika ordered, stamping her foot and crossing her arms. "Now."

In response, Tohma slowly walked back to Mika, bowing his head. She was going to kill him, he could see it now.

"How did you lose it?" Mika asked, her voice deadly serious and quiet.

"I dropped it." Tohma answered, trying to find a way to leave out the street rats. If he told Mika that he had lost them, too, she would have him impaled.

"And what about the prisoner that you took with you?" Mika asked. She didn't like loose ends.

"How did you know –" Tohma said quickly, unaware that Mika knew the finer details of his adventure.

"I know everything, Tohma. A banana was seen entering the dungeon and then leaving said dungeon with the street rat Yuki in tow. Only you would be stupid enough to disguise yourself as a banana." Mika replied.

"It was the Prince's outfit…" Tohma said, trying to make himself look better.

"Don't get me started on him. He has four days left until he has to be married…" Mika said. "And don't try to attribute the dungeon escapade to him, he was with that elephant all night."

"The street rat…is dead." Tohma answered, decided on a version of the truth. He was most likely dead anyway.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Mika asked. She didn't want to get tangled up in a murder.

"No, he fell. After we got the lamp, he fell back into the cave."

"And you're sure that he's dead?" Mika asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Tohma answered, after he shot Caspian a look to make sure that his beak was going to stay closed. "Quiet, you…" he hissed at Caspian, being quiet so that Mika wouldn't hear him.

"Good. Now, how are you going to get my lamp back?" Mika said, going back to the main point.

"I'll find a way, Mika, I promise." Said Tohma, trying to instill confidence in the Sultana.

"Sure you will…" Caspian said.

"You had better not fail me this time, Tohma." Mika said as she walked back to her throne. "Our plan will fail without that lamp."

Tohma smiled at Mika's use of the word 'our' and bowed his head slightly to her. She returned the smile and Tohma left the room.

"Wow, you were really sexin' it up in that throne room." Caspian said. The sound of the double doors closing was accompanied by a loud squawk from Caspian; Tohma had smacked him.

"Shut up!" Tohma answered. "We can't be open about our relationship until her rule is solidified. Any hint of a relationship with me, and an investigation will be launched; she'll be finished. That's what she told me."

"Sure, sure…that's just her excuse." Caspian answered, wanting to ruffle Tohma's feathers.

"Knock it off, Caspian!"

"She just doesn't want to have to touch you." Caspian answered, evading Tohma's hand. He didn't want to get smacked again. "You should bathe more often."

"SHUT UP!" Tohma yelled, causing the guards in the area to shush him.

Tohma reached up and grabbed Caspian, silencing him for the time being. He glared at the guards and hurried off to his lair. He opened the door to the broom closet and slammed it behind him.

"Too bad he was talking so quietly." One of the guards said to another. I would have liked to know what he was talking about."

"Yeah, I love palace gossip." The other answered him. He watched the broom closet door for a few seconds, heard the lock click, decided that the door wasn't going to open for a while, and turned his attention back to his job.

* * *

"Would you stop giggling!" Hiro warned, not wanting to get caught. "If someone hears you…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't help it Hiro!" Shuichi responded, trying to compose himself.

"If someone hears you, we're finished!" Hiro said, continuing to mess with the string in front of him. "We have to be quick, she left five minutes ago, and you said she usually comes back within ten."

"Okay, I'll get this end." Shuichi answered in a more serious tone, grabbing one end of the string and running to the other side of the throne room. Mika had vacated it shortly after berating Tohma, and Shuichi and Hiro had taken the opportunity to have some fun with her.

"Make sure the knots are tight." Hiro whispered across the room.

Shuichi nodded in response and started to loop the string around one of the long pillars. Hiro finished tying up the other end and went over to help Shuichi.

"At least you've stopped giggling." Hiro said, starting to tie one of the knots on the string.

"Yeah, I get too excited when I start pulling pranks…" Shuichi answered, tying the last knot. As he finished saying that, the double doors opened again and the Sultana started to walk up the main aisle.

"WALL!" Shuichi yelled, surprised by the sudden opening of the door. He slammed himself against the wall and spread out his arms. Hiro cast him one confused look before hiding behind a pillar.

"What was that?" Mika asked to the empty throne. Someone had screamed something, and she thought she saw someone duck behind a pillar.

She turned around to continue her walk up to the throne, and promptly did a face plant. Her foot was caught on something, and she rolled over to see what it was. As she rolled over, she saw a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye. She quickly stood up and adjusted herself.

"SHUICHI!" She yelled, thrilled to have caught the culprit. "GET BACK HERE!"

"Yes, Mika?" Shuichi asked slyly, scooting over to where she was. Hiro followed a ways behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mika questioned, mortified that she had fallen prey to something designed by Shuichi.

"That is a piece of string, right…?" Shuichi answered, contemplating his answer as he said it.

"And what was your part in this, Prince Nakano?" Mika asked, taking a different tone with the prince. He was her last chance.

"I tried to stop him, majesty." Hiro answered suavely, winking at Shuichi discreetly. "He couldn't be persuaded, and by the time I got to him, it was too late."

"Yes, I understand." Mika replied. "You. Get out of my sight, and apologize to the Prince for putting him through this ordeal." Mika commanded Shuichi.

"Are you kidding me?" Shuichi responded, looking completely riled. "I'll never surrender!"

On that note, he turned around on his heel and sped out of the throne room. Mika put her head in her hand and shook her head slowly. He was going to put her in an early grave. Hiro laughed quietly and started to walk out of the room. Stopping, he turned to Mika.

"Is there anything else that you require of me, milady?" Hiro asked, bowing his head to Mika.

"No, no. I am truly sorry about his behavior. Hopefully it will be corrected after some time in your palace, no?" Mika returned, smiling at Nakano.

"Of course, Sultana. We do not tolerate such behavior where I hail from." Hiro replied. He finished walking to the door and left the room, and the Sultana. "Old hag…"

"Jeez, who does she think she is?!" Shuichi screeched, as he paced around the entrance hall. "GAH!"

"Calm down…" Hiro said quietly. "The guards are watching us…"

"DOES NO ONE CARE?! THIS IS A BIG DEAL!" Shuichi screamed, running out of the room towards the courtyard where Cinda spent her days.

"He'll calm down majesty." One of the guards said. The other still had his eyes glued to the door of the broom closet. Sooner or later, the comedy duo would reappear. "Until then, I also apologize for him…"

"He's not that bad." Hiro answered, smiling. "I'll be going now."

Hiro left the entrance hall and also glanced towards the broom closet. The vizier had apparently returned, but Hiro hadn't seen him all morning. He made his way to the courtyard, hoping that he would find his new friend there.

When he reached the courtyard, Shuichi was indeed there, messing around with Cinda. He had taught her to fetch a stick if he threw it, though more often than not, she returned with a log. The once pristine courtyard was littered with tree stumps, logs, and other things that Cinda had returned with.

"Hey man." Hiro said as he walked over to the duo.

"That was great, all that stuff you said to Mika." Shuichi returned, smiling at Hiro. "Thanks for helping me. I can't believe she's so stupid…"

"Yeah…all that yelling was a nice touch."

"HEY! I WAS SERIOUS!" Shuichi screeched, upset that no one in the palace was capable of taking him seriously. Cinda took a menacing step towards Hiro. To her, anyone that upset Shuichi had to be destroyed immediately.

"Just chill out, spaz." Hiro said, backing up a few feet. Shuichi looked like he would be frothing at the mouth any second. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit much?"

"Overreacting? OVERREACTING!" Shuichi answered, feeling the weight of the injustice of it all. "I am NOT OVERREACTING!" Shuichi yelled, throwing a stick across the courtyard. Cinda immediately went chasing after it.

Hiro raised an eyebrow at Shuichi, trying his best to look skeptical.

"Why does no one care…" Shuichi said melodramatically, sinking down the ground. "No one wants to listen to me…"

"And you still think you don't overreact…" Hiro mused.

"What was that, Hiro?" Shuichi asked, his eyes showing that he hadn't heard what Hiro said. He gazed pitifully around the courtyard, wallowing in an ooze of self-pity.

Hiro walked over and nudged Shuichi with his foot, convinced that he was going to snap him out of it.

"What's this really about, Shuichi? You've been acting strange for two days now." Hiro said, trying to find the quickest route to the source of Shuichi's insanity.

"Strange? You think I'm strange?" Shuichi asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, I just think –" Hiro tried to respond, noting the glaring elephant behind Shuichi.

"WAHHH! HIRO HATES ME!" Shuichi wailed, turning around and putting the back of his hand against his forehead.

"No, no! I don't hate you!" Hiro said, completely unsure of how to handle the situation. He had never met anyone like Shuichi before.

"You don't?" Shuichi asked, sliding over to Hiro, with no sign of any tears.

"No, I don't…" Hiro said, a little freaked out at this point.

"YAY!" Shuichi squealed, throwing his arms around Hiro. "We're friends now, ne?"

"Yeah, we're friends." Hiro said, looking at Shuichi's face, which was currently pressed against his chest. Shuichi looked up at him and smiled, and Hiro sensed some sort of electricity between them. Hiro leaned in closer to Shuichi's face, planning to kiss him, when the thundering footsteps of Cinda interrupted him.

"Woo! Good girl, Cinda!" Shuichi yelled, jumping over to Cinda, completely oblivious to Hiro's attempt at a kiss. "Wow, look what she brought back this time, Hiro!"

"Impressive." Hiro answered on a sigh, looking at the tree that Cinda had returned with. "She's quite the elephant."

"I wish everyone felt that way…" Shuichi said, wrapping his arms around Cinda's trunk. "Mika wants to kill her."

"Probably because you seem to have trained her to attack the Sultana on sight." Hiro answered, smiling again.

"Yeah…if Mika weren't around, everything would be so much easier…" Shuichi said, his face all scrunched up. "She ruins everything!"

"I'm guessing everything bad that has ever happened to you, and will ever happen to you, is the Sultana's fault, right?" Hiro asked, sarcasm clouding his voice.

"Yes. Yes it is." Shuichi said seriously, nodding his head and completely missing Hiro's sarcasm.

"You're insane." Hiro returned, smiling at Shuichi attempting to be serious.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"AM NOT!" Shuichi yelled, waving his arms.

"Alright, alright. If she's so bad, why don't you just give as good as you get?" Hiro asked, crossing his arms and leaning back.

"Because…" Shuichi answered, trying to think of a reason.

"Well, why not?" Hiro asked, trying to prod Shuichi into action. He couldn't wait for an excuse to have some more fun with Mika.

"I don't know…she'd do horrible things to me." Shuichi answered, border lining on melodrama again.

"I say we have some fun with her." Hiro said, smiling at Shuichi. "Like the string trick. What'd you say?"

"Let's do it." Shuichi answered, pounding his fist into his palm.

A course of action decided on, Shuichi and Hiro left the courtyard to begin the planning phases of their upcoming pranks. Mika would never know what hit her.

* * *

WOO! An update. In one day, no less. Oh snap. *does happy dance* And on top of that, I made chocolate meringues and homeade peanut butter cookies! I shouldn't get up at seven thirty in the morning anymore. I scare myself. Anywho, thank the Birdman for this update, it was all him. And My Chemical Romance, Drowning Pool, and the Aladdin soundtrack. And Jet Li. Can't forget about Jet Li. Catch ya next time.

-Amaya


	11. Chapter 11

It seemed like weeks since he had last felt the wind in his hair, or seen the light of day, though it had only been one night. He would've loved to lean back, relax, and enjoy the trip, but he was busy being convinced that everyone around him wanted to kill him.

Yuki gripped the sides of the carpet harder and gulped. He looked over at Ryuichi, who was leaning over the side of the carpet squealing, and at K, who was calmly sitting down in the middle of the rug. Yuki scanned the vast expanses of desert sand all around, and looked up at the blinding sunshine. The soft light of a new dawn had been replaced by the glaring and blistering sun of day.

"WOOO!" Ryuichi yelled, waving Kuma in the air with one hand and holding on with the other. "This is great!"

"Ryuichi…" Yuki said quietly, deciding against warning him to be careful. He never listened anyway.

"Sir, please stop that." K said, grabbing Ryuichi by the back of his vest and pulling him all the way onto the carpet. "No casualties."

"Where are we going, exactly? Or have you not figured that out yet?" Yuki asked, still holding onto the carpet with a death grip.

"Don't worry. Just follow the Rug Man." K answered, completely comfortable with the fact that he had entrusted his life to a flying carpet.

"Are you kidding me?" Yuki asked, his tone incredulous.

"Calm down, Yuki-san. I'm sure something will turn up. Have some faith." K responded, patting Yuki on the head.

Yuki tried to glare at K, but the twitch in his left eye prevented it. He couldn't even see straight, let alone unleash his best glare on someone. He gave it his best shot, but it didn't exactly earn him a favored response. K smiled back and gave Yuki a little finger wave.

"You feeling OK, Yuki-san? You don't look so good." K said in response to Yuki's attempted glare. "Maybe I should give you a check-up…"

"Touch me and die." Yuki answered, scooting away from K.

"HEY! How come he gets to play on the edge?" Ryuichi asked, pointing at Yuki and making his face into a pout. "That's not fair, Yuki!"

Yuki raised an eyebrow at Ryuichi and reached for the sides of the carpet again. He was feeling a little bit off-center. One hand found a secure edge, while one did not. Yuki looked down and did a double take; he was teetering on the edge of the carpet.

With no warning, the carpet stopped short and Yuki toppled off of the back of the rug. He made a desperate grab for the edge, but failed miserably. Ryuichi screamed, and slid to the edge just in time to see Yuki fall into a palm tree.

"Ah, that's why you stopped." K said to the carpet. "You found a spot."

"Oooo! Look at all the trees!" Ryuichi exclaimed, taking in his surroundings. The carpet had discovered a small pool in a glade of palm trees and other plants.

The carpet landed by the pool and Ryuichi leapt off to go exploring. K stepped off of the carpet and went in search of Yuki. He was probably stuck in one of the trees in the area.

"Yuki-san…?" K called, looking in the canopies of the trees. "Yuki?"

"Get me out of here!" Yuki yelled, trying to extricate himself from the tree branches at the top of the short palm tree. "NOW!"

"Just hold on a sec…" K said, trotting over to where Yuki was yelling from. As K approached, Yuki started to kick his feet and flail his arms, trying to get himself loose without K's help. "Hold still Yuki-san!"

Yuki continued to kick his feet, lashing out a K. K reached up to try to pull him out of the tree, and Yuki's foot made contact. Yuki stopped squirming immediately and instead started to snicker at K. K got off of the ground, and sputtered for a few seconds, trying to pick a response. Instead, he continued to grumble and pulled out his gun. He pointed it at Yuki, who raised his eyebrows in response, and put his finger on the trigger.

"Either behave or get shot. We clear?" K asked, with his gun pointed at Yuki's head.

"Whatever." Yuki responded, not at all happy about being told to behave. Yuki continued to hold still, watching K from his forced perch.

K reached up and grabbed both of Yuki's feet, trying to pull him out of the tree. He gave a final tug, and Yuki came toppling out of the tree.

"Oomf!" K said on an exhale; Yuki was heavier than he looked. "Get…off…"

"Shut up." Yuki returned, calmly getting up and walking away from K. He brushed himself off and readjusted his clothes, making sure everything was on right. Having finished that, he ruffled up his hair and smoothed it back out.

"Wow. Someone's a prima donna." K said, laughing at Yuki from the ground. In response, Yuki glared at K and huffed off into the oasis. K got up and followed the pissy street rat.

"Question." Yuki stated matter-of-factly to K. His solution for ridding himself of all of the insanity was to ignore in completely. He swallowed, and continued his question. "What do I get out of this genie deal?"

"Well…" K answered, deciding on the best way to explain everything to Yuki without setting him off again. It couldn't be good for his long-term mental stability. He glanced over at Yuki with raised eyebrows and noted that the man's eye was no longer twitching. He made a note, and moved on with his explanation. "To put it simply, you get three wishes."

"And?" Yuki asked, not that interested in the prospect of K's wishes.

"And? AND?" K shrieked, insulted that Yuki was not awed by the opportunity.

"Jeez, chill." Yuki replied, still not interested in the wishing process. "You're as bad as Ryuichi."

"How can you not be thrilled?! You can wish for whatever you want!" K said, still insulted.

"Anything?" Yuki asked, his interest piqued. Before K had affirmed that he could indeed wish for anything, he had been worried that K would put restrictions on him. He really didn't need three guns, three flying rugs, or anything else that K would want someone to have.

"Well, within reason that is…" K answered, looking towards the sky and reviewing the rules in his head. "There are a few limitations…"

"Figures." Yuki answered, turning to walk away.

"HEY. Get your ass back here." K said, walking up to Yuki and grabbing the back of his shirt. He hauled him over a rock and plopped him down on it. "I am NOT finished with you."

"Now who has his panties in a bunch?" Yuki asked from his rock.

"Don't you dare…" K hissed. After spending a few seconds glaring at Yuki he cleared his throat and snapped his fingers. A cloud of smoke came from the snap, and when it disappeared he was holding a small scroll of paper. He unfurled it and started to trace the lines with his finger, following along with his eyes.

"Is this entirely necessary?" Yuki asked, crossing his arms and shooting K a glare.

"You want your wishes?" K asked shortly. Yuki raised his eyebrows slightly, and K took this to mean yes. He cleared his throat again and continued. "Alright then. Shut up and listen."

Yuki shifted on his rock, and sighed. Nothing was getting better. As hard as he tried to ignore his life, he couldn't ignore the idiot genie standing in front of him.

"There are three basic guidelines that the wishing process must adhere to." K read from the scroll. He added with a wink, "Although there are a few ways to bypass them…"

"Just get on with –" Yuki started to say before K pulled out his gun and aimed it at Yuki's head. Yuki sighed again and continued to listen to K. K continued to trace the lines, and rolled up the scroll.

"No need to use its wording. First things first: I can't kill anyone." K said.

"Too bad." Yuki answered semi-seriously, having thought of Ryuichi's demise.

"I can, however, make mysterious accidents happen, or set the scene just right." K said, raising his eyebrows twice and smiling. "Secondly, I can't tamper with anyone's emotions."

Yuki didn't respond to this one, and sat perfectly still on the rock. He blinked a few times, trying to rid his mind of the images of Shuichi that were popping up.

"Again, I can change your circumstances to make you more…how should I say it…appealing." K said, searching carefully for his answer. "The last rule mandates that I can't resurrect anyone."

"And what's your illegal way around that one, genius?" Yuki asked sarcastically, not having anyone in mind for the third rule.

"Technically speaking, there isn't one. I can dig someone up for you…" K replied brightly. "But that's about it."

"I'll pass."

"Good choice." K responded, looking down his nose at Yuki, who was still seated on the rock, and extending his hand. "So, are you on board?"

"Fine." Yuki answered, taking K's outstretched hand and shaking it.

"What are you going to wish for, Yuki-san?" K asked pleasantly, putting the gun back in its holster from his earlier assault on Yuki.

"I don't know yet." Yuki replied, getting up and starting to move away from K. "I'm not going to waste my three golden opportunities."

"Correction. You only have two." K replied lightly, yet with a serious tone.

"Two? You said-"

"I say a lot of things." K answered, walking up to Yuki. "Your third wish belongs to me."

"What?" Yuki asked, again glaring at K.

"You're going to use your last wish to set me free." K said, starting to reach for his gun. "There's no problem, right?"

"If you think I'm going to waste a wish on you, you're mistaken." Yuki answered, not at all happy with the sudden turn of events.

"If you don't, I'll shoot you." K responded, placing the barrel of the gun against Yuki's head. "Don't tempt me pretty boy."

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Yuki asked, trying to move away from the gun. K moved the gun with Yuki's head, never letting him get out of its sights.

"I had to get you to agree. You shook my hand, that's a binding contract." K replied, looking very pleased with himself. "But seriously, I'll blow that glaring head of yours off if you don't wish me free with your last wish. That's a promise."

"Alright, alright, just stop pointing that thing at me!" Yuki shouted, starting to look frazzled again. "Stay away from me!"

With that, Yuki stomped off into a shadier part of the oasis. K watched his retreating form and shrugged his shoulders. Once he lost sight of Yuki, he started to look for the other one. He couldn't see anyone for a while, and the oasis was deadly silent. He looked over his shoulder, sensing someone in the area, but he still didn't see anything.

"Shhh, Kuma…." Ryuichi whispered from the tree that he was seated in. He crept closer and closer to K's head, and without warning, jumped.

"Oh no you don't!" K exclaimed, whirling around and grabbing Ryuichi's falling form. "You can't ambush a genie!"

"Run Kuma! Save yourself!" Ryuichi screamed, throwing Kuma off to the side.

"And what do you think you're doing?" K asked, holding Ryuichi by the front of his shirt and dangling him a few feet above the ground.

"No! I'll never give in!" Ryuichi replied, struggling to get away from K.

"Stop moving around so much!" K said, trying to keep a hold of the flailing Ryuichi.

Ryuichi continued the fight, trying to escape the clutches of his captor. He kicked his legs, and started to twist around. Without warning, K released his shirt front. Ryuichi, being in mid-twist, flew through the air and landed in a small pond.

He landed face first in the pond and, upon landing, opened his eyes and looked around. Everything had gone blue. He tried to put words to his astonishment, but only bubbles came out. He watched the bubbles float away and stayed like that for a few seconds. After a while, the bubbles started to be very colorful, and the blue color over everything started to change. Ryuichi's eyes widened at all of the pretty colors, and he started to dance along to the music that he was now hearing in his head.

Outside of the water, the rug was watching him intently.

"Yeah, I don't know either, man." K said to the rug, watching Ryuichi sway around under the water. "I think he's drowning."

In response, the rug swooped down and pulled Ryuichi out of the water.

"No! I want the pretty colors!" Ryuichi said, sputtering and dripping wet. "Make the music come back!"

"Pretty colors had to go bye-bye." K answered, bending down to look Ryuichi in the face.

"Aww…ok…" Ryuichi answered, looking over his shoulder to the pond.

"Don't even think about it." K answered, pulling Ryuichi away from the pond and setting him in the sun to dry. "Why don't you help me find Yuki-san."

"Kuma's good at finding!" Ryuichi said, the pretty colors having been forgotten. He got up and dashed over to Kuma, and took off for the trees.

K watched the trees for a while, but there was no sign of either of the street rats. He looked over to the rug and shrugged his shoulders. He found a comfortable spot of sand and stretched out to await their return.

Ryuichi walked for a while, and then found a shady clearing. He couldn't see Yuki anywhere, but he thought he heard him talking. His voice was muffled, and sounded far off. Ryuichi started looking in the trees and behind rocks, calling out to Yuki every so often. He eventually found Yuki stretched behind a large tree, sound asleep. Ryuichi approached him quietly, and shushed Kuma as well. He crept towards Yuki slowly, watching his friend carefully; Yuki did not wake up well. As Ryuichi got closer, he stretched out his hand, planning on poking Yuki's ear and running away as quickly as possible. When he was three inches from Yuki's face, Yuki's voice interrupted him.

"No, wait. Come back…" Yuki muttered, stretching out an arm and barely missing Ryuichi. "That's not fair…"

"Yuki?" Ryuichi asked softly, not sure of what was going on. "Yuki?"

"Shhh…someone will hear you…" Yuki whispered, making the motion of putting his hand over someone's mouth. Ryuichi craned his neck, trying to see who Yuki was shushing. "No interruptions…"

"Who are you shushing, Yuki?" Ryuichi asked brightly, having backed up to study Yuki. "Should Kuma be quieter?"

"Quiet…"

"Sorry, Yuki." Ryuichi said gloomily, lifting his head to look at Yuki. He then noticed that Yuki's eyes were still closed. "Yuki! Your eyes!"

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone loves them…" Yuki answered, eyes still shut.

"OH NO! Yuki's eyes are glued shut!" Ryuichi screamed, grabbing Kuma and running back to K. "HELP!"

Ryuichi tore through the small oasis, frantically searching for K. He couldn't believe that such a horrible fate had befallen Yuki.

"K!" Ryuichi yelled when K was in his sights once more.

"Wha…what's going on? I DIDN'T SHOOT ANYONE!" K said, waving his arms and trying to stand up as fast as possible.

"You have to help Yuki!"

"Easy there, kid. What's going on?" K said, grabbing Ryuichi's shoulders. He glanced around, making sure that no one was coming to arrest him.

"YUKI'S EYES!"

"Yes. Yuki has eyes. What about them?" K asked slowly, not wanting to confuse the obviously distressed Ryuichi.

"They're glued shut!"

"Glued…shut?"K asked, confused.

"YES! He's talking to me, and stuff, but his eyes won't open!"

"Alright, let's go." K said on a sigh, imagining all of the possible situations awaiting him.

K jogged after Ryuichi back to the clearing where Yuki was still asleep. Ryuichi burst through the trees and ran over to Yuki. He started dancing in place, pointing wildly at Yuki.

"See?!" Ryuichi squealed, wanting K to be as concerned as he was.

"I see a sleeping man." K answered, staring at Ryuichi incredulously.

"But…but…" Ryuichi stammered, not understanding. "He was talking to me! Watch. Yuki!"

"Please stop talking…your voice is annoying me…" Yuki said, keeping his voice quiet. He smiled slightly, and shifted a little bit. "Stupid Shuichi…"

"NO! My name's Ryu-i-chi. Ryuichi!" Ryuichi said, completely freaked out. The name didn't register with him at all. "Now he's lost his mind!"

"Oh no." K said unconvincingly. Yuki was clearly asleep, and apparently was having an involved dream with someone named Shuichi present. "Whatever shall we do?"

"I don't know…" Ryuichi said from the ground. He had collapsed into a fit of tears over Yuki's lost mind. "He doesn't even know my name…"

"I'm sure he'll snap out of it. Just let him be." K replied, wanting to get in on the napping action. "I'll be over here. Why don't you do some creative brainstorming?"

"Alright…" Ryuichi said half-heartedly. He cast one tearful glance at Yuki and wandered off to find a good thinking spot.

Within twenty minutes, K was sound asleep and Ryuichi had returned with a wonderful idea in mind. He was armed with a stick, and had a serious look to his face. He woke up K again and they walked over to where Yuki was still sleeping peacefully.

"Here's the plan. We each get an eye. We have to pry them open, and then I have a stick that we can break in half, sharpen, and use to prop them open." Ryuichi explained, using lots of hand motions to educate K.

"Sounds good." K said, looking for any opportunity to bother Yuki. "I'll get his right eye, you get the left."

"Ok. Three, two…ONE!" Ryuichi said, grabbing Yuki's eyelid and pulling on it.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Yuki screeched, waking up to his eyes being forcefully ripped open by K and Ryuichi. They released his eyelids, and Yuki blinked a few times. When he could see again, he noticed the sharpened sticks next to Ryuichi. He shrieked and jumped up, trying to get away.

"STOP HIM!" Ryuichi yelled, convinced that this was all for Yuki's good. He ran after him and tackled him before he could get too far. "YUKI! NO!"

"Get off of me!" Yuki snarled, trying to knock Ryuichi off.

"Say my name!" Ryuichi yelled, firmly attached to Yuki's waist.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Yuki questioned indignantly, still trying to get away from Ryuichi.

"SAY IT!"

"RYUICHI, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Yuki screeched, his voice cracking.

"Yay! Yuki's mind came back!"

"It never left you idiot!" Yuki answered, very unhappy about the situation. "What's your problem?"

"But your eyes were glued shut!" Ryuichi said, starting to tear up. "I was worried about you!"

Yuki didn't answer Ryuichi, and instead groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He lifted his head slightly and stared at Ryuichi. He couldn't believe he was stuck with him.

K noticed the look on Yuki's face was changing from anger to hopelessness and told Ryuichi to go find pretty things with Kuma. He then walked over to Yuki and bent down.

"You alright Yuki-san?"

"My eyes were glued shut?" Yuki asked, sighing.

"Yeah. And then you lost your mind."

"Lost…my mind?" Yuki returned, trying not to understand Ryuichi's strange logic. He didn't really want to be subjected to it more than absolutely necessary.

"Affirmative. You called him Shuichi."

"What?" Yuki asked quickly, eyes widening.

"You were talking in your sleep." K answered, noting Yuki's shocked look. "Who's Shuichi?"

"No one." Yuki said, getting up from the ground and dusting himself off. "He's no one."

"Everybody's somebody, Yuki." K said wisely, nodding. "And I would say that he's definitely more than no one judging by the look on your face."

"Trust me. He's nobody."

"Right…" K said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "So. On to business."

"Business?" Yuki replied, looking skeptical.

"Yes, business. Your wishes." K answered, handing Yuki the gun-shaped lamp. "As it stands, you have two, seeing as you graciously gave one to me."

"Graciously, my ass." Yuki returned, voice laden with snark. He put the lamp in his pocket for later use and crossed his arms.

"Don't start with me…" K said warningly. "What do you want to wish for?"

"I don't know yet!" Yuki said, feeling rushed. "Just give me a few minutes."

"What, your dream didn't provide you with any ideas?" K asked, winking at Yuki.

"Knock it off." Yuki returned, turning on his heel and again stalking off into the oasis.

"I'm giving you fifteen minutes, lover boy!" K shouted after him.

Yuki didn't answer K, feeling extremely wronged. He had never before been accused of talking in his sleep, and felt deeply embarrassed and violated. K would never let him live this down. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. After a few minutes of aimless wandering, he found a nice, quiet spot and settled down. He thought back to his dream, and was very upset about having been woken up.

In the dream, Shuichi had been his genie, instead of the homicidal K. If he closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough, he could visualize most of the dream.

_"You called, Master?" said Shuichi, walking over from where the lamp was nestled to where Yuki was lounging on a couch. _

_"I have a wish for you." Yuki said, a slight smile resting on his face. He propped himself up on one elbow and stared at Shuichi._

_"Really?" Shuichi asked, smiling wide. He moved closer to Yuki, and stood in front of the couch. "What is it?"_

_Yuki raised his eyebrows and reached out to put an arm around Shuichi's slender waist. _

_"I think I'll stay over here…" Shuichi said, teasing Yuki. _

_"No wait…come back…" Yuki said, reaching out an arm to Shuichi. "That's not fair."_

_"Going to do something about it?" Shuichi questioned, eyes smiling. _

_Yuki got off of the couch and walked over to where Shuichi was still standing. He kissed him lightly on the forehead and grabbed his hands, leading him towards the couch. _

"Yuki?" Ryuichi said, though Yuki's dreaming mind took it as Shuichi talking. "Yuki?"

_"Shhh…someone will hear you." Yuki said, continuing to drag Shuichi toward the couch. "No interruptions."_

_Shuichi opened his mouth to say something else, and Yuki put his hand over his mouth, with an accompanying "Quiet." In the real world, Ryuichi questioned Yuki and his voice was again treated as Shuichi's. _

_Yuki looked Shuichi in the eyes and kissed him, putting him gently on the couch. He leaned in for another kiss and was interrupted by Ryuichi's voice in the real world. _

"Yuki! Your eyes!" Ryuichi said, again considered to be the voice of Shuichi in Yuki's dream.

_"Yeah, yeah. Everyone loves them…" Yuki answered, silencing Shuichi with another kiss. _

_He continued to kiss Shuichi and was in the process of removing his shirt when talking again interrupted him. His mind heard Ryuichi's voice and translated it into Shuichi's. _

_"Yuki!"_

_"Please stop talking…your voice is annoying me…" Yuki returned, moving off of Shuichi and rubbing his head. "Stupid Shuichi."_

_"You said my name!" Shuichi chirped, throwing his arms around Yuki's neck and kissing him. _

_"Yeah, yeah…"_

_"So…what about that wish?" Shuichi said suggestively, flopping back onto the couch and smiling at Yuki._

_"Well…" Yuki answered, leaning down to whisper the wish into Shuichi's ear. "I want you to– "_

Yuki shuddered and opened his eyes, his dream having been violently ended by Ryuichi and K wrenching his eyes open. He sighed and picked himself off of the ground. K would be getting anxious, ready for the wishing to begin. He started walking back towards K, and tried to think of something to wish for.

He reached the clearing and saw K holding a magical watch, counting down the seconds until the fifteen minutes were up.

"Ah, early." K said. "By thirty seconds. Good."

"Right…" Yuki returned.

"So, what are we wishing for today, master?" K asked, bowing his head.

"Don't call me that." Yuki spat, thinking of the dream and sighing again.

"Whatever. Wish for something." K said, staring at Yuki intently. "Now."

"I don't know what I want…" Yuki said, thinking off all of the things he'd ever wanted. He thought about money, a new house, fame, no Ryuichi…and then he saw Shuichi's face. "I…"

"He wants his Prince." Ryuichi said matter-of-factly, entering the clearing with Kuma. He walked over and handed a shiny rock to K. "Here's a pretty thing, K."

"Why thank you…" K replied, putting the rock into his pocket with a smile. "And his Prince?"

"Yeah. Shuichi, the Prince of Agrabah." Ryuichi answered, his serious face on.

"Hmmm…so Shuichi is somebody, huh?" K said, nudging Yuki with his elbow.

"Of course he is! Yuki lurves him!" Ryuichi said, all seriousness forgotten.

"Wait…Prince?" K said, stopping to think. "A dude?"

"Shut it." Yuki spat back, shooting K his best glare. "Say one more word and I'll kill you."

"Ah, Yuki loves a boy." K said, putting his hands together underneath his chin and lifting his foot up. "How cute."

Yuki's eye started to twitch, and K started to laugh. He ceased his expression of glee when he saw a vein starting to pop out of his forehead.

"Is he hot?" K said, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow in consideration.

"None of your business…" Yuki answered through gritted teeth.

"Yuki thinks so." Ryuichi answered, smiling at K.

"Ryuichi." Yuki said warningly, turning his glare on Ryuichi.

"You should wish for your Prince, Yuki!" Ryuichi said, completely ignoring Yuki's glare.

"Shut up." Yuki spat back.

"So…what's your relationship to this guy?" K asked, sitting on a tree stump and crossing his legs. "He's your lover?"

"Not exactly…" Yuki answered, trying to devise a way to escape the situation.

"Well?"

"I met him in the street one night, and we went back to my place…" Yuki said, deciding to get it over with. "We were about to…well, you know, when the guards came to arrest me."

"I, sir, am NOT a pimp." K said, standing up in indignation. "You can go fornicate on your own time!"

For response, Yuki sputtered and stared at K in disbelief.

"It's not like that!" Yuki returned.

"See? Shouldn't he wish for the Prince?" Ryuichi chimed in, oblivious to the mood.

""Technically, I can't do that, even if I wanted to." K answered. "Remember the rules? I can change the setting and make your prettier, however. Your personality is the only problem…"

"Hmph. He didn't seem to mind…" Yuki said.

"Well, then his head is obviously screwed on wrong." K replied, shaking his head. "Alright, let's move past the fact that the one with the wishes is a raging pervert."

"Hey!" Yuki said, making a move to slap K.

"Don't even think about it." K said on a sideways glance, aiming his gun at Yuki's head. "What's your first wish? And try to keep the mouse it it's house, alright?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yuki said, narrowing his eyes. Ryuichi stood on the sidelines, watching intently with Kuma and the rug, who had been having a nice afternoon flight around the oasis.

"Keep it in your pants for the time being, captain." K responded. "And the wish?"

"I…you…" Yuki stammered, trying to think of a response. Words, however, failed him. Instead, he sighed and faced K with a defeated glance. "Alright, alright. I wish for money, I guess…"

"NO! You should wish to be a Prince, Yuki!" Ryuichi said, having a stroke of brilliance. "Then you can have your Prince, fair and square!"

"No, Ryuichi. I don't want to be like him, he's miserable." Yuki said, turning to K. "I wish to be rich. There, happy?"

"Yeah, yeah." K said, rolling up his sleeves to perform the wish. Before he could start, Ryuichi ran up and whispered in his ear.

"Hey…make him a prince instead…it'll be more fun!"

"Alright. Sounds good." K said. He continued to roll up his sleeves, and a serious look overtook his face. He shushed everyone, and the drama deepened. With a flourish, he snapped his fingers and clouds of smoke obscured the small clearing. "Showtime."

* * *

Hey everyone! Merry Christmas a few weeks late! And Happy New Year! So much for finishing this prior to January…oops. Anyway, here's a nice eighteen page update for you. I hope you enjoyed it. I also sincerely hope that everyone had a delightful holiday season, I know I sure did. Caspian sends his love, whatever that means for him. Anyway, it's two thirty in the morning and I'm rambling. Note: don't watch The Producers this late…you will have strange dreams. See you on the next update and thanks for all of the reviews, they keep me going.

-Amaya


	12. Chapter 12

"You've got to be kidding me." Caspian said, indignation dripping from every word. He shuffled over to his food bowl and nosed around in the recently added vitamin food. "I am NOT eating that."

"Yes you are." Tohma answered lazily from his couch. "Eat it or starve."

Caspian uttered a string of muttering for response and ruffled up all of his feathers. He got out of the cage and started pacing, waiting for Tohma to break down. After a few minutes that lacked response he started his high pitched shrieking, hoping Tohma would fill his bowl with something satisfactory.

"Ah, now you're de-evolving?" Tohma asked sarcastically, looking over at the now furious conure.

"I want real food you nincompoop!" Caspian screeched, his feathers sticking out at odd angles. "NOW!"

"Eat your vitamins, bird."

"NO!"

"I'm not dealing with this, Caspian." Tohma answered, reaching for his ear plugs.

"Oh no you don't!" Caspian muttered, swooping down and grabbing one of the plugs before Tohma could stop him. "You're not going to hear the end of this until you give me back my food."

"EAT THE VITAMINS!" Tohma yelled, jamming the one plug into his ear. "THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOU!"

Caspian glared at Tohma for a few beats and then crawled into his cage, slamming the door behind him. He walked over to the vitamin-filled bowl and started to hurl them out of the cage, aiming for Tohma when able.

"Those are worth more than you!" Tohma screamed, frantically trying to pick up the vitamins littering the floor of the office. "Stop it!"

"Never surrender!" Caspian yelled, flying out of the cage and landing on the shoulder next to Tohma's un-plugged ear. He then unleashed a torrent of parrot screams causing Tohma to fall on the ground, writhing around in pain.

"DAMMIT, CASPIAN!" Tohma yelled, slapping at the parrot and sending him flying back to his cage for safety. "EAT THE VITAMINS!"

"NEVER!" Caspian yelled back, pelting Tohma with the accursed vitamin food. "NEVER, NEVER NEV-"

"SILENCE!" screamed Mika, having broken down the door to the broom closet. "Shut up in here!"

"Mi…Mi…Mika?" Tohma said, stopping in mid-step towards Caspian's cage. "Milady?"

"What?" Mika snarled, turning around to leave.

"Heh, Technicolor." Caspian remarked from his cage, taking in the sight of Mika.

She was covered head to foot in brightly colored paint, her hands were bandaged, and her hair was frizzed out to the maximum amount.

"What the hell happened to you?" Caspian asked, stretching himself out to see better.

"After I kill the kid, I'm coming after YOU." Mika said, pointing at Caspian.

"Whatever, lady." Caspian said, scratching his head. "I'm sooo scared."

"Caspian, be respectful!" Tohma hissed. "But, um, Sultana, what happened?"

"The kid happened. That little brat has been messing with me all morning, and I'm going to have him killed!" Mika said, stomping towards the door.

"Sultana, wait! You shouldn't kill him…he may yet prove useful?" Tohma posed, trying to find an excuse to keep Shuichi alive. If Mika killed him, questions would be asked and lots of people would lose their heads, himself included.

"I thought you hated him too…I thought you were on my side, Tohma." Mika said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

"I am, Mika, but…" Tohma said, sensing her change in tone. "People will talk…"

"Let them." Mika replied haughtily. She wasn't about to lose her opportunity to take out Shuichi and his elephant.

"Well, you'll have to find him first. I'm guessing you don't have him in custody?" Tohma said, sighing.

"And why would you assume that?"

"Because the paint is dripping off of you into a puddle on my freshly washed floor. If it's that recent, he's still on the loose, correct?" answered Tohma, pulling out the pink apron and a mop.

"Hmph. Smart ass." Mika said, glaring at Tohma and walking out of the office. "I'll leave you in charge of arresting him."

"Where is he exactly?" Tohma asked.

"How the hell should I know? It's your job now." Mika said, smiling at Tohma in an evil manner. "And, I've thought about it. Don't kill him. Just keep him out of my hair for a while. It can't take anymore voltage."

"Wise decision, milady." Tohma said, inclining his head towards Mika.

"As always." Mika returned, leaving the office for good and returning to the throne room to hold court.

"Heh. Yeah right, 'as always'." Caspian said, flapping over to Tohma's shoulder. "Someone should knock her off of her high horse."

"Caspian!"

"What, it's true."

"Keep the beak closed or I'll close it for you."

"Whatever. I'd like to see you try…" Caspian said, opening and closing his beak to egg Tohma on.

"That's it." Tohma said, grabbing some tar-like material from the bowels of his desk. "Come here."

"Come here, come here." Caspian mocked, flying around the room in circles. "Come here…"

"CASPIAN TOULOUSE." Tohma said commandingly, one eye popping out of his head. "Get over here."

Caspian alighted on the doorway and stared at Tohma thoughtfully. He rarely used any of his numerous middle names. While he was busy watching Tohma, the said vizier had run up to the door and reached out a hand to accost the parrot. Before he could adequately defend himself, Caspian was snatched off of the door way and his beak was sealed shut with the unnamed substance.

"There. Nice and quiet now." Tohma said, brushing his hands together and returning the adhesive. "What was that, bird? Oh, right. You can't talk."

"Mmmph!" Caspian said, unable to articulate words. Instead of further protest, he ruffled up his feathers and stalked off to his cage. He shut the door and locked it from the inside, glaring at Tohma. He then shuffled over to his sleeping perch and hopped on. Casting one last angry glance at Tohma, he shut his eyes and raised one foot to sleep.

"That takes care of him for a while." Tohma said triumphantly. "Now to find Shuichi…"

* * *

Shuichi was exhausted. It had been a very busy day for him, all of his time having been spent terrorizing his stepmother. Hiro had since retired to his own room for a nap, and now Shuichi was left on his own. He had visited Cinda, but she was busy plotting a way to get into the royal orchards. Eventually, boredom had won the war inside his head and he had returned to his room to think for a while.

As he was walking down the hall towards his room, he overheard a few of the guards talking.

"Good thing we're on break. I'm tired." Said the first guard, nudging the other. "I've been on duty since five this morning.

"Yeah…" replied the second guard. "I wonder if that crazy man and his parrot survived the Sultana's attack…"

"You and that broom closet…" replied the first, rolling his eyes. "And anyway, I overheard her ordering him to go find the prince."

"Really?" said the second, stopping and staring at his companion. "Huh, she must really be ticked to send her vizier after him."

"Let's just go to break. I don't want to be around when the vizier shows up to arrest the prince." Returned the first, glancing down the hall at the door to Shuichi's room. "Come on, let's clear out."

"Alright, alright." The second guard replied, shuffling down the hallway behind the first.

"Crap!" Shuichi whispered to himself. His experiences with Tohma always took a turn for the worst. Especially if Caspian got involved. "I hate that stupid parrot…"

Deciding not to make things too easy on Tohma, Shuichi skirted his room and headed for other parts of the large palace. If Tohma caught him…he shuddered and moved on from that thought process. He didn't want to end up like poor Yuki…

That thought made him stop in his tracks. He had tried to forbid himself from thinking about Yuki anymore. It had only been a matter of hours since he had met, and lost, Yuki, but the impression was deep. Ever since he had learned of the death, his mind had been stuck in a rut. Every chance it got, it went back to the topic of Yuki. Shuichi was convinced that slowly, but surely he was going to go insane thinking about the street rat.

After a few minutes of wandering through the vast palace, he found an empty storage room and settled in. Tohma wouldn't think to look for him here, and if he did, there was a convenient window that he could jump out of. He sat behind a few boxes, and propped up his feet. He put his hands behind his head and breathed out on a sigh.

He tried to organize his thoughts, and then decided to find a solution to his Hiro dilemma. He really liked Hiro, and had never had a friend like him in his life. Unfortunately, he was convinced that Hiro thought he was crazy. He had yet to find a way to explain the crazy mood swings, the hyper bursts of energy, everything. He sighed again, and groaned.

He knew what the root of the problem was, but he didn't know how to eliminate it. If he could get his mind away from Yuki, and away from his guilt, then maybe he could relax and start to feel better. Yuki was gone forever; he had to accept that. He wasn't ever going to see him again, he wasn't coming back.

The guilt also haunted Shuichi. The fact that Yuki had been killed because he couldn't save him drove Shuichi crazy. But then he stopped and thought for a moment; this would have happened eventually. Yuki was on the wanted list, he was a master thief. He would have been arrested some day, and the same sentence would have been carried out. He took a deep breath, and felt at peace.

Suddenly, the world looked brighter to him. The death no longer hung over his head and he started to feel more at ease. He didn't feel the need to cry, or to scream, and he felt much calmer. He decided to sneak over to Hiro's room to try and explain his new revelation and his change in thinking, and was elated. He looked out the window at the afternoon sunlight and was happy.

It was a perfect day in Agrabah, and the people seemed to be having some kind of parade, or festival. Shuichi leaned out of the window, trying to get a better look, and noticed an elephant leading the procession. Immediately thinking of Cinda escaping, he looked closer and assured himself that it wasn't her.

He continued to watch the spectacle unfold, trying to figure out what was going on. Along the sides of the procession, a tall blond man was holding people back and brandishing some sort of strange weapon. In the front of the parade, a man with short brown hair was leading the procession with a baton in one hand and a pink rabbit in the other.

"Wait a minute…" Shuichi muttered, trying to remember where he'd seen such a rabbit. After a little bit of dredging his memories he gave up and continued to watch the parade.

The shorter of the two men was running down the main street of Agrabah, throwing confetti into the faces of startled passerby. In response, most recoiled, frightened of the man and his bunny chum and a few more pushed him away. Shuichi could see the sad face of the leader, and half expected him to burst into tears. Instead, he ran over to the other man and started pointing to the crowd.

A couple of seconds later, several explosions went off, startling Shuichi so much that he almost fell out of the window. Holding on for dear life and trying to find the source, he soon spotted the tall, blond man holding a smoking weapon of sorts and laughing maniacally while the people that had pushed the other man ran away in terror. After a few seconds of this, the parade continued on. The man with the rabbit had re-assumed his position at the front of the parade and was marching hand-in-hand with the stuffed rabbit. Behind him, large drums boomed with music and a whole array of maniacs trailed on. On top of the elephant, a curtained box was precariously rocking back and forth, and Shuichi was immediately curious about what could be inside.

Before he had time to guess about the box, the music from the parade picked up and the crazed blond man started to yell. Shuichi strained to hear him, and could just make out the words.

"RYUICHI! FIRE 'ER UP!" he shouted, snapping his fingers a few times. Seconds later, even more people appeared out of nowhere and a large group of soldiers started to march directly behind the one apparently called Ryuichi.

When he saw the soldiers flood onto the street, Shuichi decided to leave his tower haven to find a better vantage point. He opened the door quietly and looked all over for Caspian or Tohma. Finding neither, he slunk out of the storage room and headed for the main hall of the palace. Outside in the street, the performance had begun.

"Make way, for Prince Eiri!" The first row of soldiers sang, tossing their swords in the air to catch the sunlight. Ryuichi attempted to wrestle one way from an unsuspecting soldier with a squeal of 'SHINY OBJECT!' but was successfully warded off.

"Say hey! It's Prince Eiri!" the second row shouted out, doing even more creative routines with their blades and keeping their eyes on Ryuichi who had re-assumed his marching position with Kuma.

"Hey! Clear the way in the old Bazaar! Hey you, let us through! It's a bright new star! Oh, come be the first on your block to meet his eye!" Ryuichi sang, working his new set of clothes. K had given him a makeover as well. Instead of his loose pants and vest combination, he was wearing a pair of tighter black pants, a dark blue tank top, and a black jacket that was adorned with a lot of metal fastenings and that hit a little above the waist. Kuma was wearing his usual red bowtie. He dropped his voice a few pitches and his serious facial expression matched only his serious singing voice; his march was still utterly ridiculous. He was flapping his arms mechanically and taking huge steps that were dangerously close to throwing him off balance. Kuma was now perched on his head, swaying back and forth with Ryuichi's insane steps.

"Ryuichi! Mingle!" K shouted towards Ryuichi. He also shouted some orders to the extras, which then amped up their antics and tried to draw in the crowd that had assembled around the procession.

In response, Ryuichi nodded energetically, never breaking from his structured marching step, and continued the song.

"Make way, here he comes!" Ryuichi sang, jumping around and waving his hands around his face with a crazed expression. He hopped over to the other side of the street and tried to get a few people to dance with him. The startled onlookers jumped back and look startled. Unfazed, Ryuichi went on. "Ring bells! Bang the drums! You're gonna love this guy!"

In perfect time with the song, K conjured lines of instrumentalists to illustrate Ryuichi's lyrics. As the parade moved forward, people continued to avoid Ryuichi. Most couldn't decide which they feared more; the rabid Ryuichi or the homicidal K.

"Prince Eiri, fabulous he, Eiri! Genuflect, show some respect, down on one knee." Ryuichi sang, making Kuma bow to demonstrate to the crowd. At the same time, K pointed at a few of Tatsuha's guards and snapped his fingers, forcing them to bow. "Now, try your best to stay calm, brush up your Sunday salaam, and come and meet his spectacular coterie!"

K snapped his fingers again and hordes of exotic dancers, tropical birds, and fabulous entertainers poured into the street and circled around the elephant. With yet another snap, the curtains fell from the box to reveal its contents. Inside the box was a very irate Yuki, and for the safety of all involved he had been gagged and tied down to the elephant. His old clothes had been traded in as well. Instead of the tattered clothes he'd had, he was sporting a royal blue top with flared sleeves that came with solid gold buttons on the cuffs. His top had a drooping neckline that was bordered by a very thick ribbon with gold thread inlaid in an intricate design. The shirt was loose fitting around the waist, and didn't cling to him at all. The pants were a beige color and fit him closely around the ankles and at the waist. At the cuffs, a thick blue ribbon with gold thread was sewn on, and at his waist, he had a darker blue sash.

Behind him, the carpet hovered warningly, having been ordered by K to keep Yuki in line. K gave a thumbs up to the carpet and turned his attention back to directing the parade.

"Firing up the pictures!" K shouted to Ryuichi, who waved Kuma in affirmation that he had heard the announcement. K snapped his fingers and a gigantic screen of sorts appeared above the elephant the very angry Yuki and hovered. Pictures of Yuki doing various feats of strength flashed up and the crowd started to 'ooh' and 'ahh' in response.

Underneath the screen, Yuki's eyes had narrowed to slits. Internally, he was hoping against hope that the pictures were fakes. There were parts of the morning that he couldn't remember, and he was convinced that he'd either been drugged or knocked out during the course of his unwanted princely makeover. Down in front, the parade continued.

"Prince Eiri, mighty is he, Prince Eiri! Strong as ten regular men, definitely." K sang, gesturing to the screen and conjuring fireworks to explode around it. Up on the elephant, Yuki was frantically working to untie himself so that he could escape the indignities of his cohorts. Meanwhile, Ryuichi had blended into the crowd with Kuma and was attempting to converse with them without being smacked; his first few attempts had not gone so well.

"He faced the galloping hordes!" He said to an old man in a weak voice while he bent over a stick. In a flash, he jumped over to a small child and thrust Kuma into the startled kid's face.

"A hundred bad guys with swords!" he said, through Kuma, in a playful voice. He then jumped over to a large man and put on his best tough face.

"Who sent those goons to their lords?" Ryuichi questioned seriously, nudging the man with his elbow. After a warning glare from the man, Ryuichi squeaked and ran back into the main street to continue the routine.

"Why, Prince Eiri!" the extras shouted, coordinating perfectly with Ryuichi.

"He's got seventy-five golden camels…" some extras sang gracefully, while K ran amuck through the camels, snapping to make more fireworks appear overhead. "Purple peacocks, he's got fifty-three…"

"When it comes to exotic-type mammals," Ryuichi said to a couple of kids, leaning down to whisper with Kumagoro in front of his face. "Has he got a zoo! And I'm telling you, it's a world-class menagerie!"

In time with the music, K conjured up several varieties of wild animals to mix in with the extras. He neglected to cage the animals, being busy directing the rest of the extras. A few of the tigers charged into the crowd, causing mass panic. Chalking it up to overexcitement, K shrugged and moved on, letting his array of ferocious animals terrorize the people in the street.

All through the song, Yuki had been furiously working at the ropes that bound him and had tried several times to remove the gag. He finally succeeded in setting himself free and ripped the gag out of his mouth with a ferocious grab; K and Ryuichi were going to pay for this. He glanced around through the chaos, but couldn't see an easy way out. Plus, most of the people that weren't being chased by K's rampant wild animals were staring at him. He sighed, and resigned himself to quietly plotting the deaths of K and Ryuichi.

"It's all yours K!" Ryuichi shouted, interrupting Yuki's murderous reverie. "Showtime!"

"Roger that." K answered, disappearing with a snap of his fingers. He reappeared with a bang several seconds later in full drag standing in a balcony packed to the brim with singing harem girls. The people not being ravaged by bloodthirsty beasts gasped and stared with their mouths open at K; it was quite obvious that he wasn't a woman. His muscular physique was rippling under the tight, mid-riff exposing, silk brassiere. His abdomen muscles were a dead give-away and the short skirt that accompanied the ensemble made several people flee the street in pure panic. The make-up job that he'd attempted looked terrible and clownish and the wig didn't quite cover his voluptuous ponytail.

Without stopping to adjust himself or to make a better attempt, he urged the girls to continue singing.

"There's no question this Eiri's alluring. Never ordinary, never boring, everything about the man just plain impresses!" the girls sang, trying to scoot away from the now dancing K and failing miserably due to space confinements. "He's a winner, he's a whiz, a wonder! He's about to pull my heart asunder! And I absolutely love the way he dresses!"

Yuki had immediately stopped any and all plotting when he heard a chorus of female voices and his head whirled around to face in their direction. Instead of seeing a group of beautiful women serenading him, he only saw K wearing a slinky dress. He had to try very hard to stifle his automatic gag reflex and shuddered. After a few seconds of self-pity for having had to see K in such a condition, an idea came to mind.

"This is it…" Yuki muttered. Everyone was still gawking at K and the elephant was slowly walking between a set of very tall buildings. Yuki glanced over his shoulder to where the annoying carpet was floating behind him. It was under orders to make sure Yuki stayed put, but it was also distracted by the car wreck that was K. Without a second thought, Yuki reached out and grabbed a ladder that was attached to one of the buildings. He quickly climbed down and tried to settle on a destination. Before he could, however, K started to sing in a very fake and very shrill voice. Apparently, he was still trying to convince the terrified crowd that he was indeed a woman.

"Prince Eiri! Handsome is he, Prince Eiri!" K sang, gesturing widely with his arms and knocking a few of the harem girls off of the balcony. "That physique! How can I speak, weak at the knee! Well, get on out in that square, adjust your veil and prepare, to gawk and grovel and stare at Prince Eiri!"

K finished his song to the loud applause of Ryuichi and the many echoing boos and horrified shrieks of the crowd. Seconds later, the head of the harem house appeared with a large stick and started to beat K. Instead of fighting back, he let out a womanly shriek and toppled off of the balcony into a merchant's cart. Dust rose around the broken cart and a few curse words issued from the debris. K walked out of the settling dust seconds later, thankfully dressed as a man, and signaled to Ryuichi to continue the parade.

A few blocks ahead of the parade, Yuki was heading towards the palace. All the other routes through town had been meticulously blocked off by K's insane extras and Yuki didn't have the energy to trifle with them. He was hoping for a chance to double back through town once the parade had passed through the palace gates. He glanced around to make sure that he wasn't being followed by the killer rug and his eyes fell on the palace.

He sighed, thinking of Shuichi, and moved on. He skimmed the skies for a sight of the carpet every few steps, but didn't see it. It wouldn't do to be captured by K and Ryuichi. If he was going to see Shuichi again, it would be on his terms, not theirs. Behind him, the parade continued.

"He's got ninety-five white Persian monkeys!" K sang, gesturing behind him and snapping for a few dramatic effects.

"He's got the monkeys, let's see the monkeys!" Ryuichi sang back to K, dancing around in the monkeys with Kuma in one hand. After a few minutes of crazy simian dancing, he ran back up to the front of the parade and started marching his serious march with Kuma in one hand and a baton in the other.

"And to view them he charges no fee!" K returned, winking at a few onlookers and snapping to bring the gigantic screen back. He snapped again and pictures of Yuki doing charity work and giving money to beggars started to cycle on the screen.

"He's generous, so generous!" the people chanted after another snap from K caused gold and other treasures to rain from the skies.

"He's got slaves, he's got servants and flunkies!" K sang, snapping his fingers to make the mentioned extras appear.

"Proud to work for him!" the extras sang, bowing to the elephant and falling into place in the parade.

"They bow to his whim, love serving him! They're just lousy with loyalty to Eiri! Prince Eiri!" K sang, running up to the front of the parade to join Ryuichi.

"Prince Eiri! Amorous he, Eiri!" the extras sang, lining up behind K and Ryuichi who were now standing shoulder to shoulder with their arms around each other's waists. K snapped his fingers and the doors to the main hall and to the throne room burst open with loud bangs. Inside the throne room, Mika screamed, paranoid from her morning filled with Shuichi and Hiro's pranks. In response to her scream, Tohma came skittering in with Caspian hanging on for dear life. Tohma spun around, saw the elephant marching towards him, and let out a scream of his own. He dived out of the way and stood quivering beside a pillar with Caspian laughing until a few of his feathers shook loose.

The procession entered, led by K and Ryuichi who were now doing kicking their legs into the air one at a time in a sort of can-can dance.

"Heard your prince was a sight lovely to see!" K said to Mika, who was glued to her throne with fright. She smiled nervously and nodded, completely oblivious to what was happening.

"And that, good people, is why he got dolled up and dropped by…" K sang, gesturing to the empty box on top of the elephant. He still hadn't realized that it was empty and the Rug Man had failed to alert him of the fact.

"With sixty elephants, llamas galore! With his bears and lions, a brass band and more!" Ryuichi sang, pointing excitedly to each as he mentioned them. A few snaps from K caused glittering confetti to fall from the ceiling of the throne room and fireworks erupted as well. The rug rolled up and stashed itself inside of the box to avoid being singed by the fireworks exploding in its vicinity. "With his forty fakirs, his cooks, his bakers, his birds that warble on key!"

K and Ryuichi continued their can-can dance and advanced through the throne room, getting closer and closer to Mika. Hiro, drawn in by the noise, entered through a side door and slid behind a pillar to watch un-noticed. On the opposite end of the room, Yuki snickered at the look on Mika's face, having snuck into the throne room several minutes before the arrival of the parade.

"Make way, for Prince Eiri!" the extras sang, signaling the end of the song. The music sped up and started to die down and the extras quickly exited the throne room. Just as quickly as it had started, the parade was over, leaving K and Ryuichi standing in the middle of the throne room in front of a gigantic elephant.

"TA DA!" Ryuichi shouted, running towards Mika and then sliding onto his knees. When he came to a halt, he slid Kuma forward and started doing furiously fast spirit fingers. He finished off by smiling like a deranged idiot, causing Mika to back up as far as he could without knocking her throne over.

"Holy kookaburra..." Said Caspian, putting words to what everyone else was thinking.

* * *

Oh mon Dieu! I'm so sorry that this took me so long! Garr! For some reason, I couldn't figure out how to write the "Prince Ali" sequence. I know it sounds stupid, but I couldn't force it. I'm going to try to be more consistent, but college is a big meanie-face and takes up a bunch of my time. In closing, Caspian says hi, he's currently on top of my head, and I hope everyone had a nice Spring Break.

**Thanks again to New Light for catching the error in the "Friend Like Me" sequence. I wouldn't have found it on my own and Caspian can't be trusted with that sort of thing. So, thank you!

***Holy crap. Four hours of edits and I miss the most obvious ones. Thanks yet again to New Light for catching the Ali to Eiri mistakes, and Caspian is officially fired as my beta reader.

-Amaya


	13. Chapter 13 Part A

Shuichi stayed exactly where he was, trying very hard not to be seen. A few extras from the parade were still trickling through the main hall to leave the palace, and the guards were on high alert to prevent any trouble. Directly in front of the plant that he was hiding behind, Tatsuha was pacing erratically. Shuichi was waiting for the perfect moment to escape, and couldn't stand the thought of missing out on the proceedings in the throne room.

He pondered a few evasive tactics, but couldn't decide on which one would work the best. Tatsuha was still pacing, and everyone once in a while he would glance up to make sure that the exiting extras were behaving themselves. Shuichi sighed in frustration; this was not going to be easy. After a few more minutes of uneasy twitching and watching the last extras leave, Shuichi was struck with a brilliant idea. Before giving himself time to think it over, he clamped a hand over his eyes and jumped out from behind the plant, causing a few of the guards to shriek and hide behind the others for protection.

"Umm, your majesty?" Tatsuha asked slowly, having been taken by surprise.

"I can't see you, you can't see me!" Shuichi said brightly. He tightened the hand over his eyes and put the other one out in front of him, searching for the door to the throne room.

"Yes, I can, Prince." Tatsuha answered back, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. He was a little irked that someone as stupid as Shuichi had managed to hide from his guards for so long. Not to mention the girlish shrieks he had drawn from them with his antics.

"Lies." Shuichi said back in a matter-of-fact tone. He started to wander around the main hall, with his eyes still covered, bumping off of walls and guards alike. A few tried to guide him in the right direction, but he still couldn't find the door to the throne room.

"Listen, majesty, we can obvious-" Tatsuha started to say, but he was cut off by Shuichi.

"Heh, he's so stupid, thinks he can see me…" Shuichi muttered to himself, starting to walk faster in hopes of finding the throne room.

"We can hear you too, you know." Tatsuha said. He was starting to lose his patience, but he knew that he couldn't harm the Prince in any way. He walked towards Shuichi in an attempt to corral him and lead him to the throne room, but due to the fact that Shuichi was now running around the main hall in panicked circles, he had a hard time.

"Cannot!" Shuichi yelled at Tatsuha as he continued to run around the main hall. One of his circles brought him close to the throne room door and he could catch bits and pieces of the conversation transpiring within. He slammed on the brakes, removed his hand, and skidded over to the door.

"I'm so flattered that you're willing to accept my master into your beautiful palace, he's just beside himself with gratitude." A man's voice said on the other side of the door. "My name is K, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have."

"Why, of course K. We're always glad to play host to people of your master's caliber." Mika answered with a polite smile, eying the finery that K and Ryuichi were wearing. She glanced over K's shoulder, trying to see where the Prince was, but she couldn't find him.

"And such a kind Sultana. Your people must adore you, milady." K said to Mika, bowing his head. He was really laying on the charm, hoping that he could make this work. "My master's people adore him as well, he's a wonderful politician."

Shuichi had practically stopped breathing, trying to catch every bit of conversation going on behind the door. Tatsuha and the guards had backed off, seeing as their last attempt to pry Shuichi away from the door had ended in some bloodshed. One of the guards behind Tatsuha was nursing a bite wound on his finger.

"Thank you, they are very happy. He's a politician, eh?" Mika asked, thinking of Shuichi's abysmal leadership skills.

"Yes, he is. He's been in charge of affairs of state for the last few years and he's always been keen to help his father with running the city." K answered, completely unaware that Yuki wasn't anywhere in sight.

Behind his pillar, Yuki was trying everything he could think of to keep from snickering. K looked like an idiot and that Sultana seemed bloodthirsty. Yuki had no idea how he was supposed to live up to everything K was saying, and he still hadn't caught sight of Shuichi. Prince Nakano was on the other side of the large room, looking a bit concerned. Yuki was happy to be the one to throw off his plans as he still held a grudge against the other prince.

"Do you travel often? Is your master well-versed in other cultures?" Mika asked, again thinking about Shuichi's complete lack of leadership ability.

"Yes, yes, he's a very worldly prince, travels everywhere." The voice said. "We always travel in style, parade and all."

"Really now?" Mika responded, and Shuichi noted the greedy quality to her voice. Mika again looked around the room for the elusive Prince Eiri, but he was nowhere in sight. K hadn't seemed to notice yet, and Mika wondered if the short man with the stuffed rabbit was the prince. She gulped, hoping that he wasn't, and smiled her best smile at K.

"Of course, Sultana." The man's voice responded suavely. K still hadn't bothered to look for Yuki and assumed that he was either still gagged on the elephant or being his moody self and staying quiet.

"Excellent. My son is definitely one for the…outrageous. He'll be pleased with your prince, I think." Mika answered, and Shuichi had to bite his hand to keep from making any angry noises. Mika looked at Ryuichi again and noticed that he was chewing on the stuffed rabbit's ear. She shuddered, but pressed on. If not Nakano, then this prince would have to do, no matter what.

"Perfect, perfect, the Prince is quite the catch. I'm sure he'll be very pleased with your son, Sultana. Don't you think so, Ryuichi?" The man's voice said again.

"Mmm hmm!" Ryuichi said, his mouth full of Kuma's ear. Shuichi didn't recognize the voice, and had no one to attribute it to.

"Then let's set the match, if you're so sure." Mika answered. Shuichi could just see her smug grin. She was beyond relieved that the bunny freak wasn't the prince. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle two idiots, and she didn't know when she and Tohma would be leaving. Convinced that this Ryuichi wasn't the prince, she resumed her search but still couldn't find the elusive visitor.

"Al-alright…" the voice stuttered, and Shuichi guessed the man was taken aback by the forwardness of Mika. "So, where is this prince of yours, your son?"

Before Mika could answer the man, Shuichi took a step back, and before Tatsuha could stop him, threw open the doors to the throne room with a loud bang. He was practically frothing at the mouth and was shaking slightly. Mika gasped when she saw him, and the man beside her gulped and took a step back.

"I'm…right…here…" Shuichi answered, his voice haggard with rage.

"Oh…good…" Mika replied, not sure of how to handle the furious and twitching Shuichi.

"How dare you…" Shuichi said, still shaking. "I can't believe this…first you try to make me marry him…" Shuichi continued, gesturing towards Hiro.

"It's for your own good." Mika returned haughtily, wanting to silence Shuichi so that he didn't scare off the newcomer.

"And now you're trying to make me marry this twit?" Shuichi plowed on, completely ignoring Mika and gesturing this time towards Ryuichi.

"Wait a minute, he's not-" Mika started to say before she was cut off by Shuichi. He was clearly mistaken about the identity of the prince.

"NO! I WON'T! I'm so sick of you trying to run my life!" Shuichi said, waving his arms and pacing manically. "Come on, Mika, this guy is terrible! He led his own parade!" towards Ryuichi, "How arrogant can you be?"

"You're not very nice…" Ryuichi said, cuddling Kuma to himself.

"You're kidding me right?" Shuichi said, ceasing his pacing and crossing his arms defiantly. "I'm not marrying _that_."

"Yep, you were right. He's quite the kid." K said, clapping Mika on the back and smiling widely. He thought about stopping Shuichi's tirade with the truth, but the mischievous side of him simply wouldn't allow it.

"K! Make him stop! He's being mean!" Ryuichi squalled, completely taken aback by Shuichi's verbal attacks. Glancing over at Shuichi and seeing the anger and written across his face, Ryuichi burst into tears and hugged Kuma harder.

"You're despicable! You jerk! I can't believe you thought you'd get me!" Shuichi snarled, working himself into a rage.

"Just calm down…" Hiro said, stepping in from the sidelines to wrangle Shuichi before he did anything drastic. "Shuichi…"

"Don't! DON'T! Get away from me!" Shuichi yelled, shoving Hiro away and advancing on Ryuichi. He was in mid-lunge when Hiro grabbed him around his waist and hauled him back towards the door to the throne room. "PUT ME DOWN! I HAVE TO MURDERIZE HIM!"

"Murderize? Shuichi, stop, you're not going to kill him." Hiro said softly, whispering into Shuichi's ear.

"Don't tell me what to do, Hiroshi." Shuichi said slowly, deathly serious.

"Then stop acting like a child." Hiro returned, keeping his hold on Shuichi's waist.

Shuichi twisted himself around to face Hiro and gave him his best glare. In his hiding place, Yuki was impressed, and slightly jealous; that was one hell of a look.

"Let go of me. Now." Shuichi hissed, continuing to glare.

"No can do." Hiroshi stated brightly, with a smile. He forcibly turned Shuichi around and draped his arms over the younger's shoulders, clasping his hands over his chest. Then, more quietly to Shuichi, "This is for the best, the Sultana looks mortified."

"I don't care what she looks like!" Shuichi spat, trying, and failing, to get away from Hiro. "I won't be pawned off like this!"

"I'm so sorry about him…" Mika said to K, touching him lightly on the arm. "I hope this won't change your mind…"

"Of course not!" K said with a smile. "My prince is up to a…challenge."

"I'M NOT A CHALLENGE!" Shuichi screamed, stamping on Hiro's feet in an attempt to get loose.

"Obviously." K returned, inclining his head slightly. He couldn't really understand why Yuki liked the kid so much, though. Shuichi was acting like a hyped-up Ryuichi on steroids.

"Where exactly is this prince of yours?" Mika asked, stepping into K's line of sight to prevent any further exchanges with Shuichi.

"Why, he's right over-" K started to say, turning around to drag Yuki forward. Upon realizing that he was gone for the first time, he called over the Rug Man and told it to search the elephant. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere, milady."

"Let's hope." Mika returned, telling herself that she was going to kill her stepson if he'd chased off another one. She still couldn't believe that Prince Nakano had lasted as long as he had.

"Well where is he then?" K asked the rug, who had just reported back, in a frustrated tone. "It was YOUR job to watch him!"

"He's babysat by a flying piece of carpet?" Mika asked, beginning to be skeptical. "Really?"

"He's a wily one…" K answered with a smile, running his hand through his hair. He hadn't expected that Yuki would escape, especially not under the rug's watchful eye.

"Where'd Yuki go?" Ryuichi asked as he scampered up to K and tugged on his sleeve. He had temporarily forgotten Shuichi's desire to destroy him and was focused on finding his comrade. "Where'd he go K?"

"I don't know…" K said, brushing Ryuichi off and trying to focus. To Mika, "I'm so sorry about this, if you'll excuse me, we'll find him."

"It's not a problem." Mika answered, trying to be polite. To pass the time, she walked over to Tohma and Caspian who had, thankfully, stayed quiet for the length of the proceedings. When she reached them, she noticed that Tohma had his head cocked to the side and was staring intently at the shorter of the two attendants.

"He looks so familiar…" Tohma said, wishing he could remember where he'd seen him. On his shoulder, Caspian snickered to himself. Tohma had unbound his beak prior the parade, but he was choosing to stay quiet to torment his owner. It was obvious to him that the shorter one was one of the street rats that Tohma was supposed to have killed at the cave.

"Snap out of it." Mika said, smacking Tohma's head into its normal position.

"Yes ma'am." Tohma replied, rubbing the spot where she'd clocked him. "What's happenin'?"

Mika never answered Tohma and merely stared him down until he ceased his meaningless banter. She stayed quiet while K and Ryuichi searched for Prince Eiri.

On the other side of the throne room, K was frantically searching for his missing charge. The plan was unraveling, and he couldn't believe that Yuki was dooming himself like this. Sure, he had wished for money and not for the title, but this was his one chance to steal Shuichi away from the other dude. The Sultana had practically handed her step-son over on a silver platter with a "FREE" sign taped to his forehead.

He thought about searching behind the throne and pillars, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the Sultana; things were going too well at this point. He sighed and motioned the rug forward. After all, it had been in charge of watching over Yuki, surely it would know something.

"When was the last time you saw him?" K asked the rug quietly.

In response, the rug shrugged what would have been its shoulders were it human and started to fidget around. Behind K, Ryuichi was contently playing with Kumagoro, completely oblivious to the snarls coming from Shuichi.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" K asked, waving his arms for a second and then regaining his composure. "This is unacceptable!"

"What's going on? Did you find him yet K?" Ryuichi asked, shuffling over to K. "Where's Yuki?"

"I don't know, Ryuichi, give me a second." K spat back, trying to figure out what to do. For all he knew, Yuki could be loose in the city.

"Kuma will find him!" Ryuichi sang out, causing Mika to glance over at them. Still being restrained by Hiro, Shuichi stopped snarling and let his mouth fall open, blown away by the behavior of this supposed prince.

"No he won't. Not this time. Stay put." K ordered, trying to keep a lid on things. It was bad enough that Yuki had made a fool out of him by escaping; he really didn't need Ryuichi to make things worse. "I'll figure this one out, thanks anyway."

"Ahh, but Kuma – " Ryuichi started to whine, before K clamped a hand over his mouth and shushed him.

"Ryuichi. Quiet." K said, removing his hand and turning his attention back to the rug. "Do you at least know if he made it through the palace gates?"

The rug decided not to make things easy on K. Instead of merely telling him the answer, the rug started to gesture wildly. It remembered seeing Yuki before K put on his overtly feminine clothes, and tried to bring this across in his gestures. In an attempt to illustrate K's triumphant entrance into the world of drag, the rug danced around and grabbed at K's shirt and ponytail.

"Stop that!" K said angrily, suddenly wishing he didn't have to deal with this anymore. Next to K, Ryuichi smiled and clapped his hands in response to the Rug Man's little show, but knew enough to keep his mouth shut just this once. "Use words, man!"

The rug mimicked a sigh and explained to K that Yuki had definitely not made it through the gates. The rug had noticed when he curled up to avoid K's fireworks but hadn't found the right moment to tell K. It really didn't want to get shot.

"He's been missing since then?" K asked no one in particular, dumbfounded that Yuki had been missing for that long.

"He didn't see your show, K?" Ryuichi asked, tears starting to well up in his eyes. "He…he…HE MISSED MY SONG!"

"Shh! Dammit, Ryuichi, shut up!" K said, trying to shush Ryuichi again and failing abysmally. "He heard the first part!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! YUKI MISSED MY SONG!" Ryuichi shrieked, falling to his knees and throwing his hands in the air, Kuma still clutched in one of them. From his hiding place, Yuki groaned quietly. If Ryuichi ever found him, he'd be dead. He may forgive the insults, but he'd never forgive him for missing one of his shows. Yuki gulped, and flattened himself against the pillar, hoping no one had noticed him. Shuichi heard Ryuichi yell, but the name that issued from him didn't ring any bells in the youth's head.

Mika trotted with dignity across the room, drawn by Ryuichi's echoing outburst. Shuichi had again fallen silent, and even Hiro's grip had relaxed a bit. Outside, Tatsuha's guards had to hold him back to keep him from running in and tackling Ryuichi in an outburst of love.

"Is everything…OK?" Mika asked, trying to be polite in the face of this disaster. Ryuichi was turning her gorgeous marble floor into a pond.

"Of course, Milady. He's very emotional…very attached to his master." K answered, trying to redirect Mika's attention. "Unfortunately, our prince has an eye for shopping and seems to have slipped off to your glorious marketplace…"

"Ah, it is a nice place…" Mika replied, unsure of what to do.

"I hate to ask this, but may I take leave of you to search for him? As I said, I just hate to – " K said to Mika, clasping his hands behind his back and bowing his head slightly.

"Umm…" Mika stuttered, not entirely sure of how to answer him. This was highly unusual, not to mention entirely improper.

"MY SONG!" Ryuichi wailed, still on the floor. His tears were forming a larger puddle, and K had to move away to avoid getting his shoes wet.

Across the room, Shuichi was again trying to break free. He had attempted to use Hiro's distraction to his advantage, but it hadn't worked so far. He tried to push off of Hiro's legs to break his grip and had no luck. Shuichi groaned in frustration and started to beat Hiro ferociously. When this failed him too, he sank his teeth into Hiro's arm, and again got nothing for his efforts. Hiro was unflinching even in the face of Shuichi's fangs.

"Shuichi, please, I'm just trying to help…" Hiro said, not bothering to lower his voice this time. To the left, Yuki moved a bit behind his pillar, a bit upset by Hiro's behavior. He didn't care to share.

"I don't need your help!" Shuichi said, curling his knees up to his chest and then striking out at Hiro with all of his strength. When his feet slammed into Hiro's knees, it brought the older prince down and Shuichi leapt free with a shout of "Victory!". Yuki couldn't keep the smile off of his face, though it was fleeting.

"You didn't…have…to do that…" Hiro said, the pain apparent in his voice. "I would have let you go eventually…"

"Whatever." Shuichi said, huffing. Yuki smiled again, pleasantly amused by his midnight cohort. Still worried about Ryuichi noticing him, he jumped back behind the pillar. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Hiro asked, slowly pulling himself off of the floor. He massaged his knees for a few seconds and looked up. "Where?"

"Over there." Shuichi answered, earlier rage forgotten, pointing to the left side of the throne room. "I swear I saw something…"

"Shit…" Yuki whispered to himself. He could hear Shuichi, and it panicked him. This was not how he wanted this to pan out.

Mika and K had moved in front of the throne, wanting to avoid the torrents of tears that were issuing from Ryuichi.

"Once you find your master, secure him, and I'll arrange a formal audience for you tomorrow. I trust that will work?" Mika finally answered K, having decided on a course of action.

"Of course, thank you for being so understanding." K said, bowing to the Sultana and walking over to where Ryuichi was still wailing and now melting into the floor along with his tears.

"Anytime." Mika returned to K's retreating back. She sighed, and scanned the room for Shuichi. She needed to talk to him about acting his age in front of important company. Before she could reach him, however, he darted off to the side of the room and starting looking behind the pillars. She sighed again, but then reminded herself that at least Tohma and his feathered accomplice were still staying quiet.

"What is he doing exactly?" Mika asked Hiro, sliding up behind him.

"I'm not sure, milady. He's convinced he saw something over there." Hiro answered, hiding his smile from the Sultana.

On the left side of the room, Yuki had no idea what to do. Shuichi was on him like a bloodhound, trying to figure out where he was. As Shuichi moved through the pillars, Yuki moved as well, trying desperately to avoid him. Suddenly, he lost sight of Shuichi and couldn't hear any footsteps. Unsure of what to do next, he moved away from his current pillar in order to move to the next one. Instead of stealthily sneaking to his next spot, he ran face first into Shuichi.

"EEK!" Shuichi screamed, slapping Yuki and jumping back three feet.

"Just breathe…" Yuki said quietly, moving his hands in a shushing motion. He didn't want anyone else to catch on. "Please be quiet…

"What the hell…" Shuichi whispered, immediately calming down after taking a good look at his assaulter. "GHOST!"

"What's going on? You OK?" Hiro shouted across the room in response to Shuichi's scream.

"It's a haunting!" Shuichi shrieked, jumping back again.

"Shuichi?" Hiro called, unable to understand Shuichi's insane screaming. "Are you OK?"

"I…I…" Shuichi stuttered, completely freaked out by the sudden appearance of Yuki. Not wanting to alarm Hiro or get in more trouble with Mika, he answered Hiro. "I'm fine…"

"Alright." Hiro replied, not continuing to investigate due to the fact that he didn't want to seem overly concerned in front of the Sultana.

Shuichi was quiet for a few minutes. In front of him, Yuki stood still as well, not sure of what to do next. Shuichi's silence was surprising, and not at all expected after his earlier yelling. He swallowed, and stared back at Shuichi, waiting for the kid to make another move.

"You're…not real…" Shuichi finally said, his thoughts slowing his speech. "You're dead."

"No, I'm real." Yuki said, crossing his arms. He couldn't believe that was what Shuichi had to say after all of that build-up. And last time he checked, his definitely wasn't dead.

"No…you're not. I'm not going to talk to you…" Shuichi said, backing up and turning to face the main part of the throne room. To himself, "If I ignore it, it'll go away…"

"It? Excuse me?" Yuki said in a hiss, not wanting to be overheard and feeling pretty neglected.

"Nope. You're just a figure of my imagination."

"You mean figment."

Shuichi didn't answer Yuki and quickly walked back towards the rest of the group. Before he reached them, he caught sight of Ryuichi again and all of his earlier anger came rushing back. Behind him, Yuki stepped out from behind the pillars, but everyone was too busy being distracted by Ryuichi's latest emotional explosion.

"YUKI DOESN'T LOVE ME!" Ryuichi shrieked from his spot on the floor, completely oblivious to K's attempts to shut him up. Yuki took another step out from his previous hiding place, wanting to get a closer look at Shuichi. At this point, Ryuichi was bound to find him eventually.

"Knock it off." Shuichi said, starting to get annoyed by Ryuichi again. He looked over his shoulder to see if the ghost was gone, and was disappointed; Yuki was leaning against the pillar in plain sight with his arms crossed. The rest of the group still hadn't noticed him.

"Yeah, you should be ashamed of yourself." Hiro told Ryuichi, stepping in front of Shuichi to prevent another attack. "You call yourself a prince?"

"Nakano, he's not-" Mika started to say, but Ryuichi's loud crying cut her off.

"I'M NOTA PRINCE!" Ryuichi wailed desperately, still very hurt that Yuki hadn't bothered to stick around for his grand finale.

"That's right, you're not. If you were, you'd have some manners. You can't just burst in and demand to be a suitor, there are measures you have to take." Hiro continued, crossing his arms and staring Ryuichi down. This would make Shuichi like him a lot more, and the Sultana seemed to admire assertiveness. Still, he really hated having to be an ass.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Ryuichi cried, standing up and holding Kumagoro in front of him. He looked up at Hiro, but instead of seeing the angry princes and the Sultana, he saw Yuki leaning against a pillar. "YUKI!"

"Enough about him, take responsibility for your own actions." Hiro said, trying to get Ryuichi's attention again.

Next to Ryuichi, K was trying his hardest to keep from cracking up. He had thought about stepping in on Ryuichi's behalf, but he hadn't found the right opportunity. And besides, this was pretty hilarious.

When Ryuichi called out Yuki's name in that tone, however, he snapped to attention and scanned the throne room. Sure enough, there was Yuki. He started towards him, but Ryuichi latched on to his leg and prevented him from going any farther.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Ryuichi cried out, scared of what Hiro and Shuichi might do to Kumagoro and himself if K left.

"Jeez…" Shuichi said, rolling his eyes.

"HE'S THE ONE IN CHARGE!" Ryuichi cried out before dissolving into another fit of tears, still wrapped around K's leg. With a free hand, he pointed straight at Yuki.

Shuichi and Hiro looked over their shoulders, and Mika sighed and looked as well. Shuichi gasped, and muttered something about the 'damn ghost' and Hiro tried to remember if they'd ever met. K jogged over to Yuki, thankful that he'd finally shown up.

"What the hell was that?" K whispered to Yuki when he reached him. He flashed Mika a big smile and started dragging Yuki over to the group. "You almost ruined everything!"

"Whatever." Yuki answered, trying to avoid Shuichi's eyes.

"Stop being a jerk, you're Prince Eiri, not Yuki the Pain." K chided him, hoping that he wouldn't cause anymore problems.

"Alright, alright, I got it."

"Do you?"

Before Yuki could throw out a snarky response, the duo reached the rest of the group.

"This is Prince Eiri." K announced brightly, nudging Yuki in the ribs to get him to step forward.

Yuki walked up to the group with a glare over his shoulder at K and inclined his head to Mika and the other two princes. He disliked Nakano, could barely keep his hands off of Shuichi, and had heard terrible things about the Sultana, but if was going to play the role of a Prince he had to be nice.

"Nice to meet you, milady." Yuki said, switching over to his charmer side and casting a sideways smirk at K. "I'm sorry I was delayed."

"That's not a problem, I was…entertained by your retainers." Mika answered, pleased with the new prince.

"Have we met before?" Hiro asked Yuki, shaking his hand. "I'm Prince Nakano."

"Prince Eiri, it's nice to meet you as well. No, I don't believe so."

"Really? Have you ever visited our marketplace?" Hiro pressed, thinking back to the day he'd arrived. A mouthy street rat had verbally abused him and his guard and had resembled this Prince Eiri quite a bit.

"Sadly, no." Yuki answered, trying to shut Nakano up so he wouldn't ruin everything. He had to maintain his alias for this to work.

Hiro smiled, and dropped the issue. He couldn't imagine that a street rat would've made it this far anyway.

Yuki turned away from Hiro, wanting to go step further to eliminate the possibility of Hiro blowing his cover.

"In any case, I'm very pleased that you could finally join us." Mika cut in, lightly touching Yuki's arm to get his attention. She smiled at Yuki and grabbed Shuichi to drag him into the conversation. In a quiet voice to her stepson, "Get over here and behave."

Shuichi sent Hiro a look over his shoulder and sullenly walked over to Mika, K, and Yuki. Ryuichi was quietly sitting on the floor with Kumagoro in front of the throne. His tears had subsided, but he was still pouting about Yuki missing his performance.

"Need something?" Shuichi asked Mika with his eyebrows raised. He shot Yuki his best glare, causing the latter to take a step back.

"Prince Eiri, meet my son, Shuichi." Mika said grandly, giving Shuichi a warning look. "I apologize about his behavior tonight, he…he…." Mika stumbled suddenly, unable to think of an adequate excuse to explain away the problem child.

"It's fine, really. I'm up for anything." Yuki said, trying to ruffle Shuichi's feathers a bit. He was funny when he was mad. So much anger in such a small space.

"Yes, he's quite the diplomat, knows how to work with a mix of individuals." K chimed in, wanting to continue his Prince-Eiri-is-Amazing spiel.

"K, knock it off." Yuki hissed to K, slightly embarrassed and very annoyed.

"He's just a little bit shy." K said, clapping Yuki on the back harder than normal. "But believe me, once you get to know him, you'll love him just like I do."

"I highly doubt that." Shuichi said, narrowing his eyes.

"You're not even going to give me a chance?" Yuki said, his voice much more playful than usual.

"Why would I do something like that? You've done nothing to deserve one." Shuichi returned, surprisingly articulate in his enraged state.

"Because he has an elephant!" Ryuichi chimed in from his spot before Yuki could give Shuichi an answer. "It's really big!"

"Already have one of those." Shuichi said smugly, thinking of Cinda.

"And now you have two!" K said, his largest smile yet in place.

Mika smiled nervously, not wanting to seem under-enthusiastic. She was starting to think K was a little bit unhinged, but this Eiri fellow seemed perfect. He'd be able to control the city without her around, once she and Tohma disappeared for good, and he'd be able to keep Shuichi from making a complete idiot of himself. Prince Nakano on the other hand wanted to return to his palace with Shuichi. She had committed to making this work somehow, but now that a simpler solution had presented itself, she felt inclined to take the easy way out. She was glad that their only contract had been a verbal one, one that would be easily broken. After she snared Prince Eiri, she'd find a way to get rid of Nakano, and seal the fate of her insane stepson.

She reassured herself of this, and made her decision. Prince Nakano was out, Prince Eiri was in.

* * *

Wow. So I didn't work on this for quite a bit, and then it suddenly came spewing out one night. Craaazy stuff. In other news, some brand new pictures of Caspo are up on Photobucket. Yeah…not much else goin' on…I'm pretty sure I'll be able to finish the rest of Chapter 13 by the end of the weekend, but I'm also starting my Dante coat this weekend, so who knows. I'll try real hard, Part B is almost halfway done. Peace out peeps.

-Amaya

Ooo, ooo! I remembered! I was proof reading the first couple chapters and decided that I hated Yuki and Shu's first meeting so I revamped it and made it better…in my opinion at least…Caspian seemed to enjoy it, but I don't always trust his taste level. Basically, I've updated Chapter 3. That was the gist of this last little blurb.

New Caspian pictures: .com/albums/r32/raitaamaya/Caspian/


	14. Chapter 13 Part B

On the other side of the room, Tohma's life was ending. It'd been a pretty calm day, aside from Mika busting down his office door. It was currently duct-taped to his hinges, as per Caspian's brilliant ingenuity. He had thought that the brown-haired servant had looked familiar, but soon as he spotted the new prince, everything had come rushing back to him. That damn street rat and his bunny-wielding friend were still alive.

"Why me…" Tohma blubbered, sinking down to the floor. "If Mika finds out, she'll kill me! I told her the prisoner was dead…"

"Good move, kemosabe." Caspian said from Tohma's shoulder.

"For once, bird, for once in your life can't you be a little nice to me?" Tohma said mournfully, leaning his face against Caspian's soft feathers. "I can't handle the attitude, my life is over. She'll have me executed…she hates it when I lie."

"Fine, fine." Caspian said, surrendering himself to being a nice bird.

The two sat in silence for a while, watching the group in the middle of the room. Mika seemed very pleased with the new prince, and his tall retainer seemed to really be selling him. When Tohma noted that she'd smiled more in twenty minutes than in the last year, he started to worry. With his luck, she'd pick this new guy instead of the first prince. Tohma groaned and flopped onto his back, taking Caspian down with him.

"How long have we been friends?" Tohma asked sentimentally. His mind had checked out due to stress, leaving his eyes blank and listless.

"Too long." Caspian answered back. He had considered implying that they had never been friends, but he had promised Tohma that he'd be nice.

Tohma was quiet for a while longer, and glanced over at the people huddled in the middle again. It seemed to be going very well. The tall blond man was gesturing towards the new prince and his face displayed quite a stunning array of expressions. Tohma guessed that he was really selling his master to Mika, trying to convince her to accept his candidacy or even to hand Shuichi over. Judging by the look on Mika's face, Tohma was now convinced that she would indeed choose the masquerading street rat over the first prince. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pictured a gruesome variety of deaths, trying to imagine which one would be his fate.

His mind started racing, giving him a series of flashbacks from his life. He remembered meeting Caspian. He'd been a pathetic pile of feathers in one of the exotic bird shops in the marketplace. Tohma had thought he was adorable, and he'd been looking for a present for Mika. The first time the little parrot saw her, however, he dive-bombed her head and ripped out several chunks of hair. Needless to say, Tohma had gotten stuck with the tiny bird. He smiled at the memory, and tried to remember how Caspian had gotten his gift of gab. As far as he knew, it had been an accident. The thought of never hearing Caspian's parrot squall had Tohma crying again, and in a sudden burst of affection, he addressed his long-time companion.

"I love you bird."

"Ok." Caspian replied, scratching his head slowly.

"No, man, I'm serious."

"Ok."

"Caspian."

"Tohma."

"You said you'd be nice!" Tohma said, feeling hurt.

"And you just declared your love for a bird." Caspian replied, starting to tire of the benign and somewhat deep conversation. This wasn't his normal cup of tea. And he wasn't about to admit his feelings for Tohma. He had an image to maintain, after all.

Tohma stayed quiet and crossed his arms, refusing to give Caspian anymore ammunition to use against him. His feelings of love and affection for the bird had completely faded. He muttered something about stupid, heartless parrots and was silent again. The bird eventually got bored enough to strike out on his own and went to investigate the elephant that had been loitering near the door for all of the proceedings. Meanwhile, K's attempt to win Mika over was going extremely well.

"Prince Eiri, I've decided to accept your candidacy. If half of what your assistant has said about you is true, you excel beyond the greatest limits of the other suitors." Mika said, satisfied with her decision.

"I'm honored, majesty." Yuki said, bowing his head to Mika. He had planned on being charming and sweet to win over the Sultana, but thanks to K, he hadn't been able to get a word in at all. The upside was that he kept Shuichi and Hiro quiet.

"He'll be the perfect match for your son, and for your lovely city." K said, beaming.

"I'm sure he will be." Mika answered, extending her hand to K. "You have me sold, and I'm eager to get to know him better."

"Wait a minute, doesn't Shuichi get any say in this?" Hiro asked incredulously. He couldn't believe that he'd practically just been dismissed and that Shuichi had been thrown to the wolves like this. "That's not fair."

"You didn't seem to complain when you were in his shoes, Prince Nakano." Mika answered snarkily, ready to defend her decision. "And no, he does not get any say, he's not to be trusted. Why do you think I want him to marry someone who has they're head on straight?"

"I…" Hiro stuttered, taken aback by Mika's first sentence. He turned and looked at Shuichi with a helpless feeling to his face. He hated being in this position; there was nothing he could do. Shuichi moved towards him and put a hand on Hiro's shoulder. Yuki raised his eyebrow at this, but remained calm, unwilling to blow his cover.

"And besides, nothing's final yet. I'm considering you both." Mika added quickly, trying to retain some adherence to the rules.

"It's alright, Hiroshi. I'm used to it by now." Shuichi said, ignoring the secrecy that had surrounded their friendship and glaring at Yuki again. The crazy one with the ponytail had shushed him every time he opened his mouth, and he'd eventually given up trying. He sent Mika the same glare and stalked off, leaving the room entirely. He hung around in the entrance hall, waiting for Hiro to come out.

"Now that that's settled – " Mika started to say, but the rest of her sentence was drowned out by an extremely loud squawking noise coming from the vicinity of the elephant.

Caspian and the flying carpet were locked together, the bird's beak clamped around a tassel and the rug beating the bird with one of its free ones. Every few seconds, Caspian would bite something new and the rug would intensify its attack, making Caspian scream even louder than he already was. Mika tried to shout to Tohma to corral his sidekick, but the parroty war shrieks that were bouncing off of the walls prevented anyone from hearing anything besides the afore-mentioned screeches.

Apparently, the rug was finally taking its orders to watch and protect the elephant seriously. Caspian had been casually soaring above the elephant scoping things out, when the rug had flown up and shooed him away with two of its tassels. With Caspian having a temper rivaling that of Attila the Hun, he couldn't let such an insult slide. He said a few choice words to the rug and landed on top of the elephant. Ignoring the rug's protests entirely, he flopped onto his back and stretched out his wings lazily. He yawned a bit, and faked drifting off.

This was the last straw for the rug. It flew down to where Caspian was supposedly napping and flicked him off of the elephant. Caspian couldn't catch his bearings in time, and landed on the floor with a decent plopping noise, causing a small cloud of feathers and dust to float up. Once he had gotten his eyes to focus and his head to stop spinning, he let out a horrendous war cry and charged the celebrating rug. He hit it in the middle and rammed it into a pillar. At that point, the rug grabbed the bird to toss him off and Caspian sank his razor-sharp beak into the rug's tassel. Bird against flooring, locked in an epic battle to the death. A few seconds later, the rug proceeded to beat the bird, and his ensuing screeches interrupted the conversation occurring below.

"Caspian! Come here!" Tohma attempted, but it was a lost cause. Caspian was in it to win it and was ignoring everyone's attempts to calm him down. The rug was the same, as it was ignoring K's commands as well.

For five minutes, everyone tried to stop the fight, and the warriors eventually tired each other out, plummeting to the ground in a blur of thread and feathers. Caspian came scuttling out of the dust cloud at light speed, and hopped on Tohma's foot, panting like a rabid dog. The rug stood up and dusted itself off. K pointed sternly to the elephant and the rug slunk off in that direction.

"Sorry about him…" Tohma said, scooping up the exhausted and bloodthirsty parrot. "He gets cranky."

"Enough about your retarded parrot, we have business to discuss." Mika said, cutting Tohma off before he could say anything else. Tohma clamped Caspian's beak shut, sensing the bird's desire to retaliate. "I'll have a suite prepared for your party, Prince Eiri. You can make yourself at home while we work out the details."

"Thank you, Sultana. You're most gracious." K said, and Yuki nodded his agreement.

"Perfect. I'll have one of my guards show you out." Mika returned, and she called in a guard to escort them to their lodgings.

K walked over and hoisted Ryuichi off of the floor, Kuma and all. Hiro stared Yuki down, furious that he might lose Shuichi to him. He still wondered if he really was the street rat from a few days earlier. Yuki returned the stare easily, used to glaring at anything that moved, let alone initiated a stare-down with him. Yuki sensed that Hiro could be a potential problem, and that he would definitely fight for Shuichi. Hopefully the Sultana would take care of that little problem. The guard showed up a few minutes later, and the three left with the rug gliding after them. The elephant was led to the courtyard and had its load removed.

"Prince Nakano, if you'd wait in the hall for a few minutes I'd appreciate it." Mika said, putting a hand on Hiro's back and leading him towards the door after Yuki's group was out of sight. "I have a few matters to discuss with my vizier."

"Of course." Hiro replied through slightly gritted teeth, having to try very hard to conceal his anger. He acknowledged that he had to listen, and walked out of the room.

"Tohma! Get over here!" Mika snapped, eager to get the discussion underway. She had to convince Tohma to support Prince Eiri so she could dismiss Prince Nakano. He didn't fit into her plan and she guessed that Shuichi preferred him based on his behavior before storming out.

"What now?" Tohma asked, sounded slightly irritated as he pulled Caspian's beak off of his pointer finger. After his scuffle with the rug, Caspian was riled up and currently thought he was Jaws. Whenever Tohma stopped paying attention to him, he would sink his chomper on the closest Tohma appendage. "One more time bird, one more time…I swear…"

"What are you muttering about? We need to decide what to do about Prince Nakano." Mika snapped as Tohma jogged up with Caspian in flight behind him humming the opening theme from Jaws.

"I think he should stay here. The new guy…I just don't know…"Tohma said, suddenly serious and hoping against hope that he could convince Mika to drop the fake prince's candidacy. As he finished his sentence, Caspian bit him again. He smacked Caspian, shaking his finger warningly at the snappy conure.

"And what's wrong with Prince Eiri?" Mika said, narrowing her eyes and tapping her foot. "He's much more qualified than Nakano."

Tohma noted that Mika had stopped using Prince Nakano's title, and this worried him. It would take a miracle to make Mika abandon her new golden child and Tohma didn't feel up to the challenge at the moment. Caspian settled down and fell asleep on Tohma's shoulder, snoring loudly.

He started to panic slightly, and tried to think of reasons to deny Prince Eiri's right to court Mika's mischievous stepson. Mika started to clear her throat and turned her stare on Tohma.

"So? What's wrong with him?" Mika asked, a slight smile on her face. Although she didn't know why, Tohma was panicking, and it never failed to amuse her.

"He's…he's…too blond." Tohma said, thinking of Eiri's hair.

"Too blond, Tohma?"Mika returned, her smile widening.

"Yeah, way too blond." Tohma plowed on, oblivious to the look on Mika's face. He nodded seriously and muttered something about blonds under his breath.

"Tohma, I have one question for you." Mika said, her smile now even wider. "What color is _your_ hair?"

"It-…uh…" Tohma stuttered, completely taken back. Fortunately for him, Caspian was still snoozing peacefully. "It's…blond…"

"Exactly." Mika said, practically laughing. "Any other non-existent qualms?"

"He's too reliant on other people." Tohma said quickly, recovering from his hair blunder. His nerves were starting to show, however, his eyes were watering and he kept running his fingers through his platinum locks. "That tall weirdo did all the talking for him, he's probably incompetent."

Mika sighed, wondering how she'd ended up here, and looked at the sleeping parrot on Tohma's shoulder.

"And what's that, then?" Mika asked, pointing at the drooling fiend nestled under Tohma's frazzled-looking hair.

"That's…that's…"

"Uh huh, you can't even answer a simple question without him giving you the answer." Mika replied, very pleased with herself but seriously wondering about her choice of vizier. "Anything else you'd like to complain about?"

"I'm thinking." Tohma snapped, causing Mika to raise her eyebrows and lean back slightly. He tried to keep himself composed, but the image of Mika holding an executioner's axe kept popping into his head. He gulped and continued to think hard, almost wishing that Caspian was awake just to fill the air and distract Mika's murderous stare away from his face. "He's too flashy!"

"Alright, let's take a step back from this one." Mika said on a sigh, wanting to drastically embarrass Tohma this time. If she was going to spend the rest of her life with him, he had to learn how to stop annoying her with his incessant stupidity. "How many layers of clothing are you wearing today?"

"Four." Tohma said without thinking, and immediately regretting it when he saw the victorious look on Mika's face. He was terrified of what was coming next, and half expected to see the axe leave his thoughts and materialize in her hands.

"Four? And what accessories are you sporting?"

Tohma shook his head, indicating that he wouldn't be answering, but Mika cocked her head slightly and narrowed her eyes.

"I have…gloves…satin shoes…hand-sewn detailing on my vest…" Tohma said slowly, wincing each time. Mika looked very happy, and he was on the verge of wetting himself. He hated screwing up in front of Mika. "And my boa…"

As he said the last three words, he resignedly pulled out his lime green boa and waved it droopily at Mika.

"Exactly. And every time you go anywhere, you arrive with a bang. That stupid talking bird is always announcing you, you always have on multiple layers of extravagant clothes and I've caught you dying your hair six times in the last two months!" Mika said, her voice ramping up towards the end of her rant.

Tohma didn't answer her, and instead bowed his head, ready for the axe to fall.

"I'm going to regret asking this, but do you have anything else?"

"He's too high-maintenance!" Tohma shouted out, at this point saying whatever comes to mind.

"Can't you get this one on your own?" Mika asked, the thrill of humiliating Tohma starting to wear off. "You have to have your hat cleaned nightly, you fluff that horrid boa constantly, Caspian has to be groomed before you'll let him out in public, yes I know about that and don't you give me that look, and you have to press your clothes yourself at least twice a day. And you think he's high-maintenance? Please."

"His clothes look pressed…" Tohma muttered under his breath.

"I assume you're out of ridiculous excuses to shun Prince Eiri, right?" Mika asked, trying not to laugh at the look on Tohma's face. He was an idiot, sure, but he had his moments and those kept her beyond amused.

"No! Of course not!" Tohma practically shouted, not wanting to give up on his crusade. He started to twitch with the effort of thinking up a new excuse, and all defeatist thoughts were left in the dust. As he opened his mouth to reply to Mika, she raised her hand and silenced him.

"That's enough. I want Nakano to leave, he doesn't have anything close to resembling the qualifications of Prince Eiri and he doesn't want to rule Agrabah, he wants to go home. It won't work." Mika said to Tohma, putting emphasis on her last three words and exaggerating her face to further the importance.

"Alright, alright…" Tohma replied, pulling out a carved pen. He hated having to give up on his crusade against Eiri, but he wasn't too blind to see Mika's hint about their future plans. He had no choice but to agree with Mika and approve the dismissal of Prince Nakano.

"Guard, please bring in Prince Nakano. He should be waiting outside the door." Mika said to one of the guards normally stationed by the doors that she had called over.

"Of course, milady."

A few minutes later, Hiro walked into the throne room, prepared for anything. He hadn't been able to overhear the conversation between Mika and Tohma, as they had been on the other end of the room and nowhere near the door. The guard tried to shut the door quickly behind the entering dignitary, but Shuichi shoved the door open and stalked in after Hiro, still looking murderous. He was getting tired of his future being manhandled by Mika and had decided to do something about it.

"Not you, get out." Mika said when she saw Shuichi stomping along behind Hiro.

"No, I'm not going to sit back and let you ruin-" Shuichi started to say before a look from Mika silenced him. She was smiling, on the verge of laughter. Slightly shocked, Shuichi took a step back and stared at his stepmother.

"Ruin? Ruin? I'm trying to save your life, you ungrateful little brat!" Mika said, the smile still in place. "I've found you the perfect prince, I'm practically handing you the city, and I've taken care of you for the last seven years!"

"Oh yeah, sure, taken care of me. When you're not ignoring me, you're insulting me or abusing me, and your matchmaking was completely unwanted! I don't want to get married, I don't want your 'perfect prince'!" Shuichi shrieked, tears in his eyes.

"Enough, enough, I have more important things to deal with." Mika said, the smile leaving her face at having been called out by Shuichi. It still struck a nerve that she had been left to take care of the boy when her husband had abandoned her. "Prince Nakano, we need to discuss our…situation."

"Our situation, Sultana?" Hiro asked coldly, tired of bothering to disguise his voice. The Sultana's behavior towards Shuichi disgusted him.

"The vizier and I have decided that Prince Eiri is the best choice for my stepson. I'm sorry, but I have to…respectfully decline your candidacy."

"What?" Shuichi and Hiro said at the same time.

"I'm sorry, but it's for the best." Mika said, reaching for Hiro's hand and grabbing it, forcefully shaking it. "I hope this doesn't affect our lands diplomatically."

"Of…of course not…" Hiro answered, his voice dead. He wouldn't even get a chance to compete for Shuichi, to save him from the handsome blond jackass. He looked at Shuichi, who was on his left, and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'. He nodded his head toward Mika and Tohma and left the throne room.

"You had no right…" Shuichi said quietly after Hiro's footsteps had died out. "You had no right to make him leave…"

"I had, and have, all the right. In case you haven't realized it, I'm in charge of your life." Mika returned, completely unruffled by Shuichi's comment.

Shuichi made a few angry noises and turned to leave the room. He desperately wanted to fight it out, but he knew better. Nothing would get changed, and Mika would doom him to some horrible punishment. Plus, he wanted to see if he could catch Hiro before he left for good.

"Stay there, I'm not done with you yet." Mika ordered.

"I thought you didn't want me in here." Shuichi said, glaring over his shoulder and continuing in the direction of the door.

"Now that Nakano is gone, I have some use for you. Get over here." Mika ordered. Her memory jogged by Shuichi's insolence, she turned to Tohma. "By the way, the arrest warrant that I gave you earlier is revoked."

"Ah, good…" Tohma said, having completely forgotten that he was supposed to be apprehending the young Prince. The parade had sufficiently distracted him away from his prescribed duties.

"Shuichi, we need to talk." Mika said, changing her voice to a softer tone as Shuichi slowly walked back over to her. "We need to make Prince Eiri feel at home, feel like he's welcome. And when I say 'we' I mean you."

"I'm not following." Shuichi replied, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"You need to behave. You need to be nice."

"You first."

"Don't start this again. I'm surprised that Nakano lasted as long as he did. I'm serious this time, you need to be nice to this one." Mika said, wishing there was a way to replace Shuichi with someone else until the marriage was finalized.

"He's a prince, you know. Use his title." Shuichi said in a quiet voice, his hatred for Mika making him shake slightly.

"Whatever." Mika replied, sensing that she'd hit a nerve. "We need to cover some ground rules, and I want you to keep your mouth shut until I'm done."

"Fine." Shuichi replied sulkily, again knowing when not to mess with Mika.

"First, you will be more than nice to Prince Eiri. You will go out of your way to make him feel welcome. Do whatever's necessary, don't hold back. Get my drift?"

"I'm not a slut, that's you." Shuichi said in a whisper, thinking of how Mika had behaved when she had been wooing his dad.

"Second, you will stop all of your antics, and you'll leave that elephant alone until everything is drawn up and signed." Mika continued, having been deaf to Shuichi's previous comment. Beside her, Tohma nodded seriously, trying to seem important.

"Third, you will hold your snake-ish tongue when you're talking to me, or to any of our guests. You will be demure, you will be polite, you will keep all of your thoughts and comments to yourself."

"Alright." Shuichi answered through gritted teeth, intending to break every rule as soon as possible. "But do you honestly expect this to come together in four days, or how ever many are left?"

"No. That time limit was my invention, I thought the pressure would keep you under control." Mika answered with a wave of her hand, not taking the question seriously.

"You're kidding, right?" Shuichi said, his composure threatening to leave again.

"Calm down, kid."

"That was pretty clever, milady." Tohma interjected, wanting to be involved in the conversation. On his shoulder, Caspian grunted in his sleep and rolled over.

"This time around I want you to take it slow and win him over. I don't want this to be forced for him." Mika told Shuichi.

"And what about me?"

"What about you?" Mika replied nonchalantly. "Your job is to make him feel wanted, lay on the charm, got it?"

Shuichi just stared at Mika.

"Woo him." Tohma offered, trying to be helpful. Caspian sneezed in his sleep and fell into Tohma's gesturing hand. Tohma looked at the bird in his hand with surprise and carefully replaced him.

"…woo him?" Shuichi asked, his voice low.

"To put it simply…" Mika replied, looking askance at Tohma. "We clear?"

Shuichi nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"You're dismissed then." Mika said, not entirely satisfied with Shuichi. He was bound to mis-behave. "And Shuichi, screw up once and I'll kill that damned elephant."

Shuichi glared at Mika again and left the room. Mika had seemed serious this time, and the last thing he wanted to do was to endanger Cinda. He sighed, and resigned himself to staying within Mika's rules. He wasn't going to screw the new guy, but he would try to keep his tongue to himself. At this thought he snickered, thinking that that would be breaking the first rule.

He stood in the entrance hall for a few minutes, doing some deep breathing exercises, and headed for the staircase to go back to his room. Halfway up the stairs, he remembered that he had wanted to see Hiro and took off pell-mell down the hallway that led to the other prince's room. He knocked over a confused guard and skidded to a halt in front of the door. Without knocking, he wrenched the door open; the room was empty. He walked over to the window and saw the end of Hiro's entourage leaving the city.

"Great…" Shuichi said to the empty room as he walked out of the door, thinking of the Prince that had left and the one he was stuck with. "Just great."

* * *

Wow, the gargantuan throne room scene is over! I know you're dying for some Shuichi/Yuki action, it's coming, just wait. Don't get your panties in a bunch, take a deep breath and yank. It'll be in the next chapter for sure, and I feel like I'm on a roll so hopefully it'll be here soon.

As always, thank you so much for all of the reviews, they always inspire me to keep going. Caspian's molting, so he's declining to comment. See you next time.

-Amaya


	15. Chapter 14 Part A

Tohma shut the throne room door behind him with an exasperated sigh. He couldn't believe the street rats were still alive, let alone living in the palace right under Mika's nose. If she ever found out, and at this thought Tohma shuddered visibly, she'd flip her nut. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the recurring vision of Mika strangling him with his boa, and walked over to his office door. Through the windows in the main hall, he could see the setting sun illuminating the large city.

He stepped into his office and locked the door behind him. He couldn't handle any more surprises. He dropped into his comfy desk chair and put his head in his hands.

"Why me…?" he muttered into his empty office. He had to think of something, he had to act. If he didn't, those street rats would ruin everything. "What now?"

Tohma pushed away from his desk and stood up suddenly. He turned on the spot and started pacing so erratically that Caspian toppled off of his shoulder and landed on the floor with a soft

"What the hell…?" asked the bird groggily, rolling over onto his stomach and standing up. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Tohma's feet coming towards him and started running for cover as fast as his short legs would carry him.

"Caspian?" Tohma asked in a scared voice, noting the small, dark thing scurrying across his carpet. He quickly patted his shoulder to check for the bird. "Is that you?"

Silence greeted Tohma, and he could no longer see the shape darting around the room. Without warning, the lights in the office went out and Tohma's blood ran cold. He wasn't alone, and Caspian had already fallen prey to the intruder.

"Poor bird…" Tohma whispered in the darkness, his heart beating so hard it was threatening to rip itself out of his chest. He gulped, and started to back towards the wall. He heard a sudden ruffling noise behind him and broke out in a cold sweat.

A few gut-wrenching seconds later, sharp talons gripped Tohma's shoulder and he let loose with a scream that would have made little girls everywhere very proud. After recovering from the shock, Tohma stormed across the room and restored the lights, and then grabbed the now cackling parrot off of his shoulder.

"You devil bird!" Tohma shrieked, sick and tired of being made out to be a fool.

"You almost squashed me!" Caspian retorted, trying to bite Tohma's fingers.

"You're still a devil bird!"

"That's it? That's all you've got?"

Tohma sputtered for a few seconds and resorted to glaring at the bird. He sat the bird down on the desk and started pacing again.

"I don't have time for this, Caspian, I have to do something about those damn street rats. Mika's in love with the blond hunk who's supposed to be dead, and the short one with the bunny is a maniac."

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Caspian replied, walking around the desk and nibbling on various important documents.

Tohma stared at Caspian over his shoulder and shook his head. He couldn't even begin to fathom what he was going to do.

"Help." Tohma said, falling back on his last resort. Every time Caspian got involved there was bloodshed, but he was willing to sacrifice a few limbs to solve this particular problem.

Caspian stopped eating the papers and watched Tohma with his head cocked to the side for a few seconds. He scratched himself absentmindedly and continued to watch Tohma. He flew off to his cage and returned a few seconds later dressed in a suit with a small cigarette lodged in his beak. Before speaking, he dimmed the lights.

"We gotta make 'em disappear." Caspian said, narrowing his eyes and waving his wing in Tohma's direction.

"Excuse me?" Tohma asked, not sure what Caspian was getting at.

"Forge' aboud it." Caspian asked, this time laying on a heavy Italian accent.

"Forget about what?" Tohma asked, completely missing the point of Caspian's mobster disguise. Caspian stared at him incredulously for a few beats before Tohma figured it out. "Oh!"

"Took you long enough." Caspian said, tossing the cigarette aside, removing the suit, and restoring the lights. "Just kill them, makes life easier."

"Right, right…" Tohma replied, deep in thought, his villainous streak showing itself. Then, casting a sideways glance at Caspian, "You sure?"

"At this point, it's kill or be killed. If Mika finds out that her prized prince is really a street rat and that you lied about them being dead in the first place she'll finally have a good reason to dispose of you." Caspian responded intelligently. "We need to polish off these rats before Mika finds out the truth."

"But how?" Tohma mused, visualizing several different methods of killing the troublesome thieves.

"Well…there are quite a few possibilities, depending on how creative you want to get…" Caspian said from the desk, looking absolutely murderous. "Decapitation, acid burning, fire, explosives, drowning, oooh, impalement…"

"Easy there, Vlad." Tohma countered quickly, having sudden visions of a grotesque castle in Transylvania. "Those are all too obvious, it has to look like we weren't involved. If Mika thinks we offed her precious prince, we're dead too."

"Hmph. Then what're your ideas, oh brilliant one?" Caspian snapped, not at all happy with the rejection of his ideas.

"We'll have to dispose of the body after we kill him…make Mika think he left…he's disappeared on his retainers before after all…" Tohma muttered. "No body, no evidence."

"Hmm…" Caspian said to himself, mulling over the new possibilities. As long as Mika never found the body, they were home free. Any of his ideas would float the boat.

The duo spent the next fifteen minutes in silence, thinking up different ways to successfully dispose of the body without anyone catching on.

"I've got it!" Caspian shrieked, flapping his wings and sending several pens flying.

"You have, have you?" Tohma asked, rubbing his temples.

"If you're going to be like that then-"

"Caspian."

"Fine. Just get him to the office, I'll take it from there." Caspian replied, looking absolutely evil.

"No, no, no! Not the office! We can't incriminate ourselves like that!" Tohma sputtered.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I have it all worked out…" Caspian said, trying to assure Tohma with a silky voice. "Trust me."

"Casp…"

"Like you've got a better idea…" Caspian returned, flying to his cage. When Tohma didn't reply, he continued. "Exactly. From now on, I'm in charge."

"Great…" Tohma said under his breath, walking over to the cage.

"Listen, here's how it's going to go down…"

* * *

"Now remember, you have to be sweet…"

"And say nice things!"

"…no glaring…"

"And smile lots!"

"…try not to twitch too much…"

"And bring him something pretty!"

Yuki was sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, his arms folded, and his eyes closed with the effort of containing himself. He gritted his teeth and hissed a bit, wanting desperately to murder the two numbskulls in front of him.

"Basically, don't be yourself." K said, clapping a hand over Ryuichi's mouth to put a stop to his helpful comments.

"Yeah, Yuki, be Eiri!" Ryuichi chimed in, pushing K's hand away with Kumagoro.

"Stop calling me that!" Yuki spat. He was becoming more irritable by the second and had taken to latching onto the slightest excuse to snap at the other two.

"Take a chill pill." K said matter-of-factly, staring down at Yuki in his chair. "It's your name now, get used to it."

Yuki glared at K as was his custom and hunkered down into his comfy seat. K sighed, and walked across the room towards Yuki, who pulled his feet into the chair with him.

"What did I tell you about the glaring?" K asked quietly to the curled up figure that was Yuki.

Yuki merely glared again, not wanting to give K the satisfaction of an answer. Ryuichi gulped and covered Kuma's eyes. K took a few steps forward and smacked Yuki in the head.

"What the hell was that for!" Yuki yelled, trying to scoot backwards and massaging his head.

"I'll ask you again. What did I tell you about the glaring?" K said, his voice steady. At this rate, Yuki wouldn't last a day in the palace. He had to get the attitude in check.

Yuki again refrained from answering, and K again raised his hand to smack the insolent princeling.

"Alright, alright, you told me not to!" Yuki said, using his arms to shield his head. He could still hear bells from the last blow.

"Good boy." K said, smiling and walking back to the other side of the room.

"Tell him he's pretty, and, and, and be a good guy!" Ryuichi chirped, reverting back to giving Yuki what he considered priceless advice.

"Ryuichi's right, you know." K said smugly, noting Yuki's homicidal expression. "You need to be sweet, charm-"

"I got it already, just shut up!"

"If you blow this, I'm not doing it again." K replied, his expression darkening. "I've worked way too hard for you to screw things up now."

"Whatever."

"I thought I told you to drop the attitude!" K exclaimed, smacking Yuki again. "Follow the rules!"

"Fine, fine, can I go now?" Yuki asked, rubbing his head and staggering out of his chair. Unable to stand the prospect of spending the entire night in the company of Ryuichi and K, he had decided to visit Shuichi.

"Hold your horses, we need to decide on a plan of action…" K said, looking serious and pulling out a map of the palace. "If you go out of this door and then turn left…"

"Ummm…K?" Ryuichi said, waving Kuma's hands. "I think Yuki left…"

"He what?" said K, spinning around and noticing that the door was ajar. "Damn him."

* * *

"Finally…" Yuki muttered to the dark hallway. Freedom had never felt so good. He had left the maniacs behind and soon he'd be with Shuichi again.

He had never considered himself a romantic, and in fact he hated the idea of ever becoming one, but he hadn't been able to force the young prince out of his head. It had only been a day since he had met Shuichi, but he had never connected with anyone like that before. Shuichi understood a part of him, he was trapped too. Yuki had never had someone to sympathize with; he had never had someone get so close to him in his entire life.

The thought of seeing him again, of holding him again, of kissing him again propelled him forward. He hadn't the slightest idea of where he was going, but he couldn't afford to ask K for directions now. The fact that he had escaped K unscathed made him extremely happy, and he quickened his pace even more.

The hallways were becoming steadily more decadent and Yuki guessed that he was nearing the royal apartments. He gulped, picturing what would happen if he ended up in the Sultana's room instead. She seemed a bit over-enthusiastic about him, and he wasn't looking forward to meeting her again. He paused, took a deep breath, and tried to get into character. He had to be a perfect prince, it was what Shuichi wanted and what he deserved. He tried to push out all sarcasm and tried to replace it with sincerity, but the process was extremely difficult for him. He shook himself, cleared his throat, and reminded himself to be a prince. If anyone found him out, he would lose Shuichi for good. And if Shuichi didn't like him…

He shuddered, and finished assuming his new role. He continued down the hall, keeping focused on his goal. Voices in the hall ahead, however, stopped him in his tracks, and he dodged behind a large vase to avoid being seen. After a few minutes of crouching in the shadows, the voices never came nearer, and he slowly straightened up to see what was going on.

Two guards were standing at the end of the hallway, one on each side of a large and very decorated door.

"I wonder why the vizier is so paranoid…" said the guard on the right thoughtfully. "We've never been asked to guard the Prince's room before."

"Are you obsessed or something?" said the guard on the left in an exasperated voice. "It's not our job to question orders, just to carry them out."

"I still wanna know why…" said the first guard quietly. "He seemed pretty rushed too."

"Knock it off already."

"But why is he so interested in what Prince Eiri is doing?" the other guard said, unwilling to drop the subject.

"Does it look like I care? Shut up already."

"Fine."

The guards ceased their conversation and Yuki relaxed behind the pillar. He was a bit unnerved that the vizier was having him watched, but he was even more relieved that he had found Shuichi's room. He knew the sentinels ahead were guarding Shuichi's room and reporting to the crazy vizier, but Yuki couldn't imagine that they'd deny him entrance. After all, he was Mika's new golden boy.

He cleared his throat and stepped out from behind the vase. The guards immediately reached for their swords and Yuki felt his confidence draining away.

"And where do you think you're going?" the more serious of the duo asked Yuki in a deep voice.

"To see Shuichi." Yuki answered quickly, realizing too late the mistake of using the prince's first name.

"Who the hell are you to be using his majesty's first name?" asked the second guard, moving to stand in front of the door.

"I'm…I'm Prince Eiri. The Prince's new suitor." Yuki answered, trying to regain his natural self-assurance.

"Trying for some funny business?"

"You dirty old man! Trying to corrupt our little prince!"

"It's not like that!" Yuki interjected quickly, lying through his teeth. His face grew uncharacteristically red as the guards chastised him.

"Sure, sure…" said the Tohma-watcher skeptically. "You keep your hands to yourself mister."

"Wha?" Yuki said, failing to form a sentence. He felt his face, and was surprised to feel how hot it was.

"We won't support your deviant behavior!" screeched Tohma's biggest fan.

"Get back to your suite, princey." the other guard said, making a shooing gesture with his hands. "Unless you want to be eligible for a boy's choir that is…"

Yuki stared incredulously at them for a few beats, but decided to leave after they reached for their swords again. He had rarely been so insulted, or so embarrassed, in his entire life. He made his way back down the hallway and wound through the labyrinth that was the palace until he reached his suite. Sighing heavily, he opened the door and walked in.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in." K said amusedly from a couch. Behind him, the sun burned red.

"KITTY! WHERE?" screamed Ryuichi, suddenly jumping up and running around the room in a panic. "KITTY!"

"Ryuichi, there's no kitty." K said solemnly, not wanting to upset Ryuichi.

"Aww…" Ryuichi replied, hugging Kuma and sitting down on the floor next to the rug, which was sleeping.

"Shot you down, huh?" K asked, turning back to Yuki. "Good one."

"No!" Yuki returned, clearly ruffled. "His room was guarded."

"Uh oh, the ruse is up." K said in mock worry.

"What? How?" Yuki asked, not as quick on the uptake as usual.

"They must have figured it out if they have guards at his room. Must have heard of your…reputation." K said, a huge smile plastered across his face.

"Oh, real mature." Yuki spat back. "And these people are too thick to figure anything out. Especially the vizier."

"Mmm hmm, mmm hmm, then why were there guards?" K questioned, a playful glint in his eyes. "Lying about the guards aren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"Turned on the charm and failed, huh, Yuki?"

"Charm?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. "And there were guards!"

"You know what you are, Casanova." K replied, the huge smile still in place.

"Hmph."

"Alright, Don Juan, let's figure something else out then." K said, now fighting to keep a straight face; Yuki looked like his head might explode.

"Knock it off."

"Okay love doctor."

"K!"

"Yuki's a doctor?" Ryuichi piped up, looking awed.

"Ryuichi, quiet." Yuki snarled, walking towards the door to his bedroom. "I'm going to bed."

"Gasp! Ryuichi, what's that? It's a man, it's a Yuki, no, no, it's a machine!" K called out, pointing excitedly at Yuki. "A love machine!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Whatever you say Captain Debauchery."

"GUARDS! THERE WERE GUARDS!" Yuki screeched, his voice getting dangerously close to cracking again. He turned away from K to prevent himself from committing murder and saw something very interesting.

The suite's window overlooked the palace's courtyard. Yuki hadn't bothered to examine said courtyard when they arrived, but now wished that he had. Directly across the courtyard was a huge balcony. And leaning on the railing was someone very familiar to Yuki.

Shuichi was perched on the balcony, his arms folded on the railing. Below him, an elephant was munching on some leaves, looking contented. Yuki couldn't hear what Shuichi was saying, but he could see his lips moving. Deciding on a new course of action, he cleared his throat and put a hand on the knob of his bedroom door.

"Night, then." Yuki said calmly.

"The old balcony ploy, eh?" K asked, looking past Yuki to the window. "Can't fool me, sir."

"None of your business."

"Cut the crap and get over here. We'll help you this time." K said, grabbing Yuki's shirt and dragging him over to Ryuichi.

"I don't want your help." Yuki replied. "I can handle it myself."

K ignored Yuki's reply and started rummaging around in bag that had suddenly appeared on the table next to him. He pulled out a jumble of wires and threw something at Yuki.

"What the hell is this?" Yuki queried, examining the object that K had chucked at him.

"It's an earpiece. Put it in. I'll get the rest of the equipment started up. Ryuichi, I want you at least five feet away from this at all times, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Ryuichi answered, getting into the moment.

Yuki looked skeptical, but a warning glance from K made him insert the earpiece. He heard a strange buzzing noise and then nothing. He watched K fiddling around with the wires and started to wonder how he was going to get up on the balcony.

"You read me?" K asked, inserting his own earpiece with an attached microphone.

"Do I read you?" Yuki said, staring at K.

"Apparently you do. All I have to do now is wire you up for sound and you're good to go."

"Any idea how I'm going to scale the walls to the balcony, genius?" Yuki posed offhandedly, not wanting K to realize that he himself had no plan whatsoever.

"Rug Man can help!" Ryuichi suggested energetically while K measured the bouncing man's distance from the pile of wires. "He can fly you up there!"

"No way!" Yuki yelled, jumping away from Ryuichi and the sleeping rug.

At this, the rug woke up and started to slap Ryuichi about the head with its tassels. Yuki snickered, and the rug turned on him, beating him in the head and punching every inch of the street rat turned prince that it could reach.

"Easy Rug Man! You don't have to help!" Ryuichi said loudly, massaging his head.

"Calm down, dude…" K said, trying to pull the rug off of Yuki and getting kicked in the stomach in return. He toppled backwards and landed with a loud 'thump' in his gaggle of wires.

"Leave me alone you insane throw rug!" Yuki bellowed, trying to slap the rug away. Across the courtyard, Shuichi said goodnight to Cinda and went into his room. "I don't want your help anyway!"

This comment seemed to spur the rug on, and it proceeded to pull Yuki's hair and pummel him thoroughly. Yuki tried to throw the rug off, but he couldn't get a tight enough hold. He even tried biting one of the tassels, but the rug countered by ripping out a lock of Yuki's hair.

"OWW! WHAT THE –"

"Love and peace! Stop fighting!" Ryuichi called from the sidelines while K tried fruitlessly to untangle himself from the wires.

The rug ignored Ryuichi and instead intensified its attack on Yuki. It hadn't quite forgiven him for giving it the slip earlier, and the two had never gotten along. The rug hated Yuki's smug attitude, and was ready to continue the earlier battles from inside the cave. It continued to pull Yuki's hair and when Yuki succeeded in ripping a few threads from a tassel, it tickled his ears so furiously that Yuki fell to his knees laughing. Sensing victory, the rug flew off, hovering around the ceiling.

"Wow, he can laugh." K said, having finally extricated himself from his equipment. "Who would've known."

"Shut…it…" Yuki gasped between spasms of laughter, trying to regain his composure. After a couple minutes of sputtering, the laughter stopped completely. "How am I going to get onto the balcony? I'm not using…that." He motioned toward the hovering rug.

"I don't know, I'll think of something, I still need to wire you." K replied, walking over to Yuki and lifting up his shirt.

"Hey!"

"Quiet, just gotta attach this to your shirt."

"You should apologize to Rug Man, Yuki." Ryuichi said, pointing to the angry rug flying around on the ceiling. At this suggestion, it made a very rude tassel gesture at Yuki.

"Yeah right." Yuki spat at the rug, returning the gesture with one of his own. "I'm running out of time. I'll figure something out on my own."

"Watch out for any guards…" K whispered, wanting to antagonize in secret.

"Watch it." Yuki replied, glaring over his shoulder and dropping out of the room's window.

"No glaring!" K said as Yuki's head disappeared from view.

* * *

Now that my Dante costume is almost done and debuted, I have a lot of extra time and creative juice on my hands so I'm dedicated to getting this behemoth finished up. I've tried to tighten it up and cut out some of the random crap that my fingers seem to love to type, but I've had no luck (obviously ^^). Hope you don't mind, but if you're still reading this, you probably don't…woo, I be a ramblin'. Caspian's just bathed and wants to get back to work, so I'm out.

I swear on the bird's head (which is nice and shiny now) that Yuki and Shuichi will see each other again in the next part of this chapter. See, see, I didn't technically lie last time around. It'll just happen in Chapter 14 Part B. Yay for sneakiness.

-Amaya and the squeaky clean conure


	16. Chapter 14 Part B

The setting sun illuminated the courtyard beautifully, and Yuki carefully picked his way around the fallen trees and large rocks strewn all over the stone pathways. He had no idea what had caused such destruction, but he was eager not to meet it. There weren't any guards in sight, and that relieved Yuki greatly. He never wanted to relive his last experience with them. Ever.

When he was a few feet away from the wall underneath Shuichi's balcony, he heard an ominous grunting noise behind him. Turning around slowly, he saw a hulking shape moving towards him, carrying a very large stick. He gulped and started backing up.

"Umm…K?" he said quietly, trying to talk into the microphone K had attached to his shirt. "A little help here?"

"Oh, now you want my help? I see how it is." K's voice said in his ear. "You're on your own, lover boy."

"K!" Yuki hissed, but before he could say anything else, the creature in front of him swung the stick at his head and he was forced to hit the ground to avoid getting his head taken off by the log.

The thing in front of him took a few ground-shaking steps forward and Yuki could barely make out what it was in the dimming light. A gigantic and, best he could tell, pissed off elephant was standing in front of him, clutching a ripped-up tree in its trunk. As it swung the log again, Yuki yelled and rolled to the side.

"Cinda!" a voice above Yuki screamed. "Stop tormenting the peacocks!"

The elephant immediately dropped the log, looked cowed. However, when it again caught sight of Yuki, it advanced again.

"HEY! Don't make me come down there!" the voice yelled again. Yuki looked up to see the source of the yelling and saw Shuichi pop his head out over the edge of the balcony. "Stop being belligerent!"

Cinda, not one to give up so easily, stretched out her trunk and snagged Yuki's shirt. Yuki yelled again and tried to break loose. He could hear K and Ryuichi laughing in his ear.

"I told you to stop messing with the peacocks!" Shuichi screeched, hanging farther over the edge of the balcony. "DROP IT!"

Cinda didn't obey, and Shuichi straddled the balcony, trying to get close enough to Cinda to smack her.

"BAD ELEPHANT!" Shuichi yelled, swinging at Cinda with one hand and holding onto the edge of the balcony railing with the other.

Yuki looked up again while he struggled against Cinda's grip and saw Shuichi take a particularly violent swing at Cinda. He lost his balance and toppled off of the balcony. Without hesitation, Cinda dropped Yuki unceremoniously and caught Shuichi gently with her trunk. She sat him down and dusted him off as best she could.

"Thanks girl…you didn't kill the bird, did you?" Shuichi said weakly, glancing around the elephant to get a better look at the courtyard. He gasped when he spotted Yuki sitting on the ground, looking disgruntled. "What were you doing to my elephant?"

"Nothing….it attacked me." Yuki responded, trying to get off of the ground without any embarrassing sound effects. His back felt like it had been split in two and the lava burn on his wrist had been scraped open.

"It? She's a she, you dumbass." Shuichi said as curtly as he could. Before he could start raging at the prince in front of him, however, he remembered Mika's threats. He gulped and hugged Cinda's trunk to him. He couldn't afford to lose her. "I'm sorry, just a bit…tired…"

"Tired. Right." Yuki replied, pretty upset about the unwarranted elephant attack. He tried to remember his earlier promise to himself about being princelike, but couldn't quite bring himself to be nice.

"Be Eiri! You're a debonair prince!" K ordered into the microphone.

"Well, I'm sorry if she hurt you or anything." Shuichi said, starting to stroke Cinda's trunk.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Yuki replied, trying his best for a smile and not quite getting there. He looked up to meet Shuichi's eyes and was slightly startled.

Shuichi's voice sounded calm and sweet, but the look in his eyes was enough to make anyone fear for their life.

"Alright then. We done here?" Shuichi asked, trying to be cordial. Yuki could sense the boy's inner attitude starting to come out.

"Actually, I wanted to-" Yuki tried to say, wanting a chance to win Shuichi over.

"Goodnight." Shuichi said, cutting Yuki off before he had a chance to work his magic and started to walk away.

"Push harder!" K's voice rang in Yuki's ear. "Stop him!"

"Listen, Shuichi, I wanted to talk to-"

"Don't use my first name. I don't know you." Shuichi said, narrowing his eyes and moving closer to Cinda. Under his breath he added, "And I don't care to."

"I'm sorry, please just listen-" Yuki tried to say, but a derisive noise from Shuichi cut him off.

"No! I won't!" Shuichi said loudly, his anger getting the best of him. "Don't think you can just come out here and boss me around! You don't own me!"

"Not yet…" Yuki said quietly, getting upset. He had tried to be nice and it hadn't worked.

"Bad Yuki!" Ryuichi said into the microphone in a high-pitched squeal.

"Behave!" K ordered, trying to salvage the conversation.

"Nothing's set in stone…Hiro could…" Shuichi tried to say, tears welling up in his eyes at the thought of Hiro.

"He's gone. I won." Yuki said, ignoring the protests of K and Ryuichi. He was butchering the situation, but he was tired of being treated like dirt. He had gone through a lot to see Shuichi again.

"You're a jerk."

"And?" Yuki replied nonchalantly, picking at his fingernail and raising an eyebrow. The Eiri façade had faded completely.

Shuichi was shocked into silence. He looked at the man standing in front of him and couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it earlier. He was so similar to the street rat that had saved him, looked just like Yuki. He had the same smirk, everything.

"Yuki?" Shuichi asked quietly.

"No. My name's Eiri." Yuki said quickly, almost tripping over his words. He hadn't expected Shuichi to figure it out so quickly. "You're obviously confused."

"Obviously." Shuichi said coolly, more than a little disappointed. He had been so sure for those few blissful seconds. "I'm going to bed."

Yuki nodded, a little bit shaken from Shuichi's insight. Shuichi patted Cinda on the trunk and she lifted him back up to the balcony. Yuki was about to chalk the evening up to bad luck when K's voice buzzed into his ear.

"Go after him, you fool! And for Allah's sake, be nice!" K shrieked, unwilling to let all of his hard work go to waste. "You've pretty much blown it!"

"I can't climb thin air!" Yuki whispered angrily, backing away from Cinda.

"Do I have to do everything?!" K said, his voice getting higher and higher.

There was a loud crack behind Yuki, and a ladder appeared on the side of the palace wall. Yuki didn't hesitate; he ran over to the ladder and started climbing, looking over his shoulder to make sure Cinda wasn't going to resume her beating attempts. When he reached the balcony, he saw Shuichi disappear into the room inside. There were tears streaming down his face.

"Shuichi, wait!" Yuki called out. He had been angry before, but seeing Shuichi in pain had mellowed him out beyond belief.

"I told you not to use my name!" Shuichi yelled, the tears apparent in his voice. "Leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry, I –"

"No you're not. You don't care, you don't know. You probably came up here to butter me up or to check out what you have coming, right? Right?" Shuichi said, ending in a considerably louder voice.

"No, -"

"Then get it over with! What do you have to offer? Huh?" Shuichi said, acting as if he hadn't heard Yuki's protests. "Let the buttering begin."

"Say something nice!" Yuki heard Ryuichi chirp. "Compliment him, cheer him up!"

"Yeah, I'd play along. He looks like he might push you off the balcony." K said into the microphone, halfway serious, halfway wanting to hear Yuki's best attempt at a compliment.

"You're…" Yuki started, but Shuichi wasn't about to let him get a word in.

"I'm what? Beautiful? Heard it. Rich? Obviously." Shuichi said, trying his hardest not to physically harm the idiotic prince in front of him. He hated him, hated the fact that Mika was trying to run his life.

"How about insane?" Yuki muttered. He heard K sputter on the other end, but he didn't care. "How about psychotic?"

"What?" Shuichi returned. The word choice surprised him; he was sure he'd heard it before. "What was that last word?"

"Psychotic." Yuki answered, missing the significance of the word.

Shuichi stood in a silent reverie for a few minutes while Yuki stood next to the railing watching Shuichi intently. Shuichi turned the word over and over in his mind, trying desperately to remember where he'd heard it. He glanced around his room, around the balcony, and then his eyes landed on Prince Eiri. The answer hit him; Yuki. Yuki had called him psychotic when they'd met in the street. Thinking about Yuki made the tears come rushing back in full force and before he could stop himself, he was shaking uncontrollably on the floor.

"What the hell…" Yuki said to himself before he remembered that he wasn't alone.

"Get over there!" K shouted.

"You big meanie! You made him cry!" Ryuichi said, and Yuki guessed that the muffled 'thwump' that followed was Kuma being thrown at the microphone.

Yuki didn't know what to do; he wanted to hold Shuichi, to comfort him, but he wasn't sure if the kid would let him come that close. He didn't want to exacerbate the situation, but he felt like a fool just standing there.

"Yuki…" Shuichi whispered through his racking cries, clutching his arms and rocking on the floor.

The sound of his name galvanized Yuki into action. He crossed the balcony in a handful of rushed steps and went down to his knees next to Shuichi. He pulled the smaller prince into his arms and held him. Shuichi started crying even harder and threw his arms around Yuki's neck, nestling his head under Yuki's chin. He seemed to have momentarily forgotten his hatred for the prince in his anguish.

They stayed like that for a while, until Shuichi's sobs subsided and he ceased shaking. Yuki didn't let go, and continued to hold him to his chest, feeling that the torture of the last day had been worth it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Shuichi said, hiccupping and trying to move away from Yuki. Then, attempting to regain the serious mood of earlier, "I still don't like you."

"Are you alright?" Yuki asked, slightly concerned. He ignored Shuichi's comment and tightened his grip.

"I'm…fine." Shuichi gasped out, the tears threatening to return. Every time he looked at Eiri he could only see Yuki staring back at him. "You just…remind me of someone."

"Must have been quite a guy." Yuki said, trying his best not to smile or smirk. He heard K snort and Ryuichi giggle on the other end of the connection.

Shuichi's response never came, he was choking on his tears. He could only see Yuki. No one had ever understood him like Yuki had. No one had ever made him feel whole like Yuki had. He remembered everything he'd said, how it had felt to be in his arms. When he closed his eyes he could almost feel Yuki's lips on his. He opened his eyes and looked up; Eiri was still holding him.

Shuichi stared into his eyes and felt like his heart was breaking all over again.

Yuki could see the pain in Shuichi's eyes, and felt helpless. He didn't know how he could fix things, he didn't know how Shuichi would ever forgive him for his behavior, and he hadn't the slightest idea of how to stop his tears. He reached out a hand and stroked Shuichi's face, wiping away some of the tears. Shuichi stopped crying again and leaned forward as though searching for a long lost friend. Without giving it any thought, Yuki wrapped his arms around Shuichi, pulled him forward, and kissed him.

When Yuki broke the kiss, the last thing he expected was an angry Shuichi. Sure, he had expected some surprise at first, but then he would have explained everything. Instead, Shuichi pushed him away and staggered up.

"You lied to me!" Shuichi yelled, his eyes flashing. The instant Yuki had kissed him, he'd known the truth. "I thought you were dead!"

"Wha?" Yuki said, completely shocked that Shuichi had found him out without assistance.

"You bastard!"

"I'm sorry?" Yuki said in a questioning tone. He hadn't thought that Tohma would have told everyone he was dead. His disguise was only for fooling Tohma and giving him the right to court Shuichi.

"You're sorry? YOU'RE SORRY?" Shuichi roared. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Now might be a good time to run." K chimed in, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Shut it." Yuki said into the microphone. Unfortunately for him, K wasn't the only one that heard him.

"What did you say?" Shuichi hissed dangerously, his eyes narrowed to slits. "Don't tell me to shut it!"

"I didn't!" Yuki returned, putting up his hands in a defensive move. He didn't feel like dying just yet. "I didn't know I was dead either!"

"A likely story." Shuichi snarled, angry beyond belief. He'd been duped.

"I didn't know!" Yuki yelled back, getting frustrated. It made sense for Tohma to have spread that lie, to cover his tracks, but it almost seemed too intelligent a plan for the vizier. Yuki was beyond surprised, and a little impressed. "At least I'm not dead, right?"

"That's not-" Shuichi started to say, but then Yuki's words sunk in. Yuki was right; he wasn't dead. Shuichi closed his eyes and did some deep breathing to calm himself down. "You're right."

"I am?" Yuki asked, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice. He had been steeling himself for a bloodbath.

"Yeah." Shuichi said, a smile starting to shine through. He walked over to where Yuki was still sitting and plopped down into his lap. "You're right."

Shuichi kissed him lightly, still smiling.

"Let's go inside." Yuki said, all traces of his sweet, debonair attitude gone. He pushed all the other thoughts out of his mind, and concentrated on getting right back to where he and Shuichi had left off the last time around.

"Hey! Keep the snake in its cage!" K said into the microphone, wanting to keep things clean for Ryuichi's sake.

"Alright." Shuichi responded slyly, the smile still on his face.

"He's just as bad as our prince…" K muttered.

Shuichi walked into his room, leaving Yuki alone on the balcony. Yuki cast a look over his shoulder and smirked, ripping the earpiece and microphone off and tossing them over the railing. He heard K's angry shout echo around the courtyard before he stepped into Shuichi's room.

* * *

"That little shit!" K yelled, stomping around the suite. "He threw out my equipment!"

"I'm sure it was an accident." Ryuichi said happily, arranging Kuma's pajamas. "Bed time!"

"I watched him throw them over the railing! It was no accident! I want to know what he's up to…" K said. "We can go to bed after I bug the kid's door."

"Okay." Ryuichi replied. He jogged out of the room and came back a few minutes later without Kuma. "Ready?"

"Where's Kuma?" K asked, pulling out the necessary electronics and headed for the door.

"I tucked him in, he was sleepy." Ryuichi responded as he slipped through the open door and shut it behind him.

"Alright, we need to be quiet to pull this off." K said, clapping a hand over Ryuichi's mouth just as the shorter of the two caught sight of a shiny statue.

Ryuichi nodded, and K removed his hand. They spent the next fifteen minutes in silence, and met no opposition. K pulled out his map of the palace and checked their location, uneager to meet the guards that had so soundly rebuffed Yuki.

"Stop here for a second…" K whispered, yanking Ryuichi towards the wall. "I need to see where we are."

"We're in the palace, K." Ryuichi whispered back, serious as ever.

"Thanks for the update." K replied, hunkering down over the map. Shuichi's room was around the corner from their current position. "Stay here for a bit, okay?"

"Yep yep!" Ryuichi said brightly, earning himself a warning 'shush!' from K.

K left Ryuichi flattened against the wall and crept around the corner, keeping his eyes and ears open for the guards. As he rounded the corner and crouched down behind the same vase Yuki had used for refuge, he could catch snippets of the conversation occurring directly in front of him.

"Come on, that prince isn't coming back, let's just turn in." said the guard on the left, yawning. "I've been up since sunrise."

"Not my problem. I'm not budging. The vizier ordered us to guard this door and I'm going to guard it." The guard on the right responded haughtily, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Have it your way, I'm leaving." Said the first guard, sighing and stomping off down the hallway. Luckily for K, he turned in the opposite direction of Ryuichi and vanished.

"Slacker…" the remaining guard said into the dark hallway, moving to stand in the middle of the hallway instead of off to the side.

K pondered the situation for a minute, trying to think of how to either scare or distract the guard. In the end, he decided for a more violent route. He stepped out from behind the vase and walked right up the guard, pulling out his gun.

"Hey! You're not authorized to be here!" The guard said, eyeing K's gun uncomfortably. "And what is that thing?"

"This, friend, is a firearm." K responded, smacking the guard on the side of the head with the gun. He caught him before he hit the floor and dragged him over to the large vase. With a mighty heave, he tossed the guard head first into the vase. Dusting his hands off on each other, he walked back to Ryuichi.

"We're good."

"Let's do this thing…" Ryuichi replied, doing a little jig in the hallway.

K was in the process of bugging the door when footsteps disrupted his progress. Ryuichi jumped behind K, and K again reached for his gun.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tatsuha asked, approaching K. "Isn't your suite on the other side of the palace?"

"It is, it is. I'm just…" K tried to answer, his mind blocked by the unplanned interruption. He let his hand fall from his gun grip.

"Please go back to your room, sir. We have a nine o'clock curfew here, and it's strictly enforced in this hallway." Tatsuha said, fingering his sword in case K got violent. His dark eyes watched K's gun.

"Alright." K said, not wanting to push the situation. He was sure that Yuki was up to no good, but he figured the guy deserved a break just this once. He already had plenty of material to tease him about anyway. "Let's go, Ryuichi."

"Ryuichi?" Tatsuha said, perking up instantly. Not only was he head over heels in love with the thief, but he'd been eager to recapture the man for other reasons. He'd told Tohma that Ryuichi had escaped, and so far the vizier seemed to have forgotten all about it, but Tatsuha figured it was better to tie up any loose ends. At the thought of tying Ryuichi up, his eyes glazed over and a little bit a drool escaped his mouth.

"Yeah, he's right here." K said, unaware that Ryuichi was currently listed as an escaped criminal. He grabbed Ryuichi and dragged him forward.

"Tatsuha!" Ryuichi squealed, remembering the fun they'd had last time they'd met and forgetting all about their feuds from the streets.

"My honey…" Tatsuha whispered, still drooling. Realizing how lucky he was to have Ryuichi fall back into his hands so easily, he brought himself out of his worshipping stupor and got serious. "Ahem…I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."

"Why?" K and Ryuichi said together.

"Because…we have to finish our game!" Tatsuha said, looking K directly in the eye and deciding that it was best not to mess with the man. He wanted to live to see the next sunrise.

"Yay!" Ryuichi said, bouncing over to Tatsuha. "Kuma can't play though, he's sleeping…"

"Aww…" Tatsuha said, throwing an arm around Ryuichi's shoulders and almost fainting in the process. "We'll have to tell him all about it tomorrow…"

With that, they disappeared down the hallway and left K standing alone by Shuichi's door.

"Wow." K said, shaking his head. Deciding to honor his decision about leaving Yuki alone, he walked back to the suite and turned in for the night. He had to be well-rested for the abuse that he was going to heap on Yuki in the morning after all.

* * *

"What was that?" Shuichi asked, having heard K's shout. He smiled at Yuki and walked up to him, throwing his arms around his neck.

"No idea." Yuki responded. The last person he wanted to think about right now was K. Shaking his head vigorously, he put his arms around Shuichi's waist and kissed his forehead.

"I'm glad you're not dead." Shuichi said, putting his head under Yuki's chin and closing his eyes.

"Me too." Yuki said, pulling Shuichi closer and resting his face on Shuichi's soft hair. Holding Shuichi seemed to jog his memory, and he thought back to when he'd arrived at the palace with the insane parade. "So that's why you called me a ghost."

"Hmm?" Shuichi questioned sleepily. Then he added, glancing nervously around his room, "Ghost?"

"When you saw me in the throne room. You called me a ghost." Yuki returned, staring down at Shuichi's confused face.

"Oh!" Shuichi said, relieved that his room wasn't being invaded by supernatural beings. "Tohma told me you were dead."

"Sorry to disappoint." Yuki said sarcastically. "I hope he'll forgive me."

"Don't worry about him, he's pretty much harmless." Shuichi said, having successfully warded off countless Tohma plans. "It's the bird you have to watch out for."

"I'll keep that in mind." Yuki said, lifting Shuichi slightly and kissing him again. He started to maneuver him towards the bed, tired of the chit chat and now focused on getting Shuichi into bed.

Shuichi broke apart from Yuki and flopped backwards onto his bed, happier than he'd been in years. Yuki followed, and sat down next to him, leaning against one of the tall bedposts. He watched Shuichi intently, part of him still convinced that this was too good to be true. Shuichi returned Yuki's glance for a few minutes before a sly look crept across his face.

"So why should I consider your candidacy?" Shuichi asked, adjusting invisible glasses and clearing his throat. He remained on his back, but studied Yuki's face with a skeptical look.

"What?" Yuki replied, a little taken aback. He definitely hadn't planned on this. He groaned quietly; he thought he'd cleared that fence.

"You heard me. Why should I consider you?" Shuichi asked again, trying to keep the smile out of his eyes. Yuki looked funny when he was panicking.

"Because…" Yuki started to say, not sure of what to say. He was starting to regret throwing out K's earpiece. He racked his brain for things that he knew Shuichi liked, but he hadn't known him long enough to have much of an idea. Shuichi reminded him a tiny bit of Ryuichi now that he'd spent more time with him, and he desperately grabbed a hold of this thought; it was all he had to go on. He thought of Ryuichi's favorite things: Kuma, candy, Kuma, and…the damned rug. "Because I have a flying carpet!"

Yuki half shouted his last sentence, internally pleased that he'd been able to come up with an answer at all. He could picture the rug's displeasure about Yuki saying it was his, but that didn't matter now.

"A flying carpet?! Where?" Said Shuichi excitedly, bolting up and looking around like a lunatic. "Where!?"

"Not here, it's…" Yuki tried to think of the best word. "Lethal."

"Aww…" Shuichi said, slightly disappointed. "Always wanted to fly on a rug."

"Really?" Yuki asked, not entirely sure if Shuichi was serious or not. It was hard to tell. "It'd be your last, trust me. That thing is haywire. Besides, I'm sure we can find something better to do…"

Yuki tried to run a hand up Shuichi's leg as he leaned in for a kiss, but Shuichi slapped it away and put a hand over Yuki's mouth.

"You still haven't given me a good reason." Shuichi said, his voice devoid of any joking qualities. He again had to fight the urge to smile, but he controlled himself. The look on Yuki's face was nigh priceless.

"Seriously?" Yuki replied, sighing. One look from Shuichi silenced him, however, and he went back to rummaging through his head for an appropriate response.

"Yeah." Shuichi said, starting to shake with the effort of containing his glee; it was so much fun to tease Yuki. He betrayed himself by smiling, however, and Yuki immediately caught on.

"Brat."

"Jerk face." Shuichi said, scooting closer to Yuki and kissing him again. He was done with childish games for the evening.

Yuki didn't respond, and instead returned Shuichi's kiss, pushing him back down onto the bed. He moved his lips down Shuichi's neck, pausing only to lean back and take his shirt off. Shuichi did the same, and pulled Yuki back down. Yuki responded enthusiastically, thinking to himself that this was going to be a phenomenal night.

* * *

Wooo! Feels good to finally be past this. I wrote 23 pages in almost one sitting, it was pretty darn intense. I had a lot of fun with chapter 14, but I'm super-stoked for the next part of the story. I'm going a little off of the beaten path as far as plot goes, but nothing major. Everything from the movie will be there, I'm just adding a few things and reworking some scenes to make them fit into my particular version. In other news, getting a netbook in a few days so I'll be completely mobile. I love my lappy, but he needs to go on a diet; too heavy to lug around campus and to Starbucks. Now, back to story talk...

I'm sorry if you were expecting a song, but I just couldn't bring myself to write Yuki singing…no. I thought this was more appropriate for him anyway, given his…tendencies. I'll leave the rest of the scene up to your imagination, have fun.

-Amaya


	17. Chapter 15

"I'm sorry Kuma couldn't make it..." Tatsuha said, his arm still slung around Ryuichi's slender shoulders.

"Well..." Ryuichi said in a thoughtful voice. "If we ask nice and tell him you missed him, maybe he'll wake up and play with us."

"Really?" said Tatsuha, sounding hopeful and smiling down at Ryuichi. He had decided to play along with Ryuichi antics, even if it meant being friends with the rabbit that had nearly killed him on several different occasions. "Think he will?"

"Let's ask!" Ryuichi replied, breaking into a run and pulling Tatsuha along behind him.

When they reached the suite, Ryuichi let go of Tatsuha and put a finger to his lips. He opened the door slowly and crept inside, Tatsuha following close behind. Ryuichi crossed the room in a cat-like manner, his skills as a thief coming in handy.

Kuma was sound asleep in the next room, tucked in and dressed in his favorite pajamas. Ryuichi quietly approached the sleeping rabbit and shook him lightly.

"Kuma-chan..." Ryuichi murmured. "Wake up..."

The rabbit didn't move, talk, or blink.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, don't be mad..." Ryuichi said, looking worried.

Again, Kuma made no obvious movement. Outside, Cinda ripped up another tree.

"Kuma! How could you say such things?" Ryuichi said, getting more frantic by the second. "Take it back!"

"What did he say?" Tatsuha whispered.

"Shhh!" Ryuichi said, backing away from the bed and pushing Tatsuha out of the room.

Kuma was still lying on the bed, unmoving, silent.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ryuichi shrieked suddenly, falling to his knees and throwing his arms above his head.

Tatsuha watched from the background, a little unnerved by the entire thing. But seeing as he was incapable of ever thinking a single negative thought about Ryuichi, the scene in front of him only increased his love for the older man. Ryuichi was silent for a couple of minutes, and Tatsuha judged by his twitching that Kuma was lecturing him. Eventually, Ryuichi got off of the floor, dusted himself off, and, to Tatsuha's surprise, picked up Kuma.

"Ok. Let's go, Tatsuha!" Ryuichi said in a sing-songy voice, skipping out of the room with Kuma tucked under one arm.

Tatsuha didn't answer and instead followed numbly after Ryuichi, trying to keep his eyes from looking glazed and unfocused. The trio traversed the hallways in near silence; Ryuichi kept up a constant conversation with Kuma, filling him in on the attempted bugging of Shuichi's door. Tatsuha lead the way to his room, making sure to avoid the patrols that swarmed the palace at night. If anyone saw Ryuichi, serious questions would be asked and the loveable thief would be in danger of being arrested. Hopefully he would be able to convince Ryuichi to stay with him; he'd be safer, and Tatsuha would have him all to himself. A little moan escaped him at the thought, and he clapped a hand over his mouth to keep Ryuichi from hearing him.

"We almost there?" Ryuichi asked, running forward and grabbing Tatsuha's hand. "Kuma has a game for us to play."

"Uh huh, it's just down these stairs..." Tatsuha said quietly, squeezing Ryuichi's hand reassuringly and checking for guards.

"Yay!" Ryuichi said, spinning Tatsuha in a circle.

Tatsuha smiled nervously, thinking to himself that Ryuichi was exponentially more amazing the more time he spent in his presence. He pulled Ryuichi and Kuma down the stairs and into his quarters. Once the door was closed, he sighed a sigh of relief that they hadn't met anyone on the way down. He didn't think he'd ever been so lucky in all of his life. Ryuichi had fallen into his hands without any effort on his part, they hadn't been stopped all the way through the palace, and now he had Ryuichi to himself for the entire night. He took off his belt and sword and sank into the nearest chair, staring contentedly at Ryuichi, who was taking off Kuma's pajamas.

His quarters were quite substantial; he was the guard captain after all. It consisted of two rooms, one of which functioned as his bedroom. In the far corner of the main room was a sunken area and it was bordered all the way around by tiered steps. In the middle of it was a fire pit surrounded by cushions. The opposite corner featured a small snack pantry with a couple cupboards. The center of the room featured a nice coffee table, and the rest of the room was taken up by sofas, chairs, and display cabinets.

"So, what does Kuma want to play?" Tatsuha asked, a tiny bit concerned about Kuma after what had happened in the guest suite.

"He wants to play tea party!" Ryuichi said, turning around and smiling wide. "It's his favorite!"

"Alright." said Tatsuha, not at all fazed. He remained seated, watching as Ryuichi rummaged through one of his cupboards, pulling out plates and cups. "There's a teapot in the guard's kitchen, I'll go grab it."

"Great! Take Kuma with you!"

"O-okay..." Tatsuha said, honored to have Kuma entrusted to him. He accepted the rabbit from Ryuichi and cradled him gently, walking out of the room with slow and deliberate steps, careful not to endanger Kuma.

He returned five minutes later with the teapot, keeping a tight hold on Kuma with one hand and barely balancing the teapot in the other. Ryuichi had taken the cushions from around the fire pit and arranged them around the coffee table. The table itself was covered with mis-matched plates, cups, and silverware. Tatsuha smiled at Ryuichi's adorable effort and sat the teapot down in the center of the table.

"See, see? I made it pretty!" Ryuichi said when he saw Tatsuha and Kuma. He bounded across the room and grabbed Kuma, giving him a big hug. "Thanks for taking Kuma, he likes to help."

"Anytime..." Tatsuha replied, ogling Ryuichi again. "We had fun."

Ryuichi smiled at Tatsuha and lit a few candles that he had scattered haphazardly around the table.

"Ready to start, Kuma?" Tatsuha asked, inclining his head to the rabbit.

"Yep!" Ryuichi answered, indicating a cushion for Tatsuha and plopping down onto his own. Kuma was seated to his left, in the fanciest cushion that Ryuichi could find. He was the guest of honor, seeing as it was his tea party.

"Pass the...crumpets please." Tatsuha said, holding out his hands to receive the food. He had said the most tea-party-esque food that he could think of, given that the table was lacking food entirely. Ryuichi may have set the table, but he had apparently forgotten to provide the tea for the tea party.

"No! Kuma has to choose first, he's the Tea Master." Ryuichi said seriously, shaking his finger at Tatsuha and giving him a dirty look.

"I'm...sorry?" Tatsuha said, withdrawing his hand and gulping slightly. "What would you like Kuma?"

"He fancies the éclairs." Ryuichi said, grabbing a large plate from the center of the table. He put the plate in front of Kuma and folded his hands in his lap, waiting with a contented smile on his face.

"Ok, now we can eat, too, Tatsuha." Ryuichi said, smiling at him yet again and snatching the tea pot. He poured cups for everyone in attendance and started to eat the invisible treats.

The rest of the party was uneventful by Ryuichi standards; the biggest happening was Tatsuha slopping invisible tea down his front and Ryuichi nearly overturning the table to come to his aid. Before Tatsuha realized what was happening, Ryuichi was straddling his lap, dapping at his shirt with a piece of cloth, looking utterly mortified that an accident had interrupted Kuma's perfect tea party shindig. When Ryuichi deemed that the tea was successfully dabbed, he returned to his own seat and apologized through Kuma. At this point, Tatsuha decided that it was best to call it quits for the tea party before he oozed into a pile of adoring goo.

"Mmm hmm, Kuma-chan is tired! I'll clean up!" Ryuichi said brightly as ever, putting Kuma on a cushion and tucking him in with another cloth. He started to clear the table off while Tatsuha returned the teapot.

"Let's play another game, Ryuichi. While Kuma sleeps." Tatsuha said as he re-entered his room. Ryuichi had quickly finished cleaning by shoving all of the dishes under the table and stacking the pillows in a leaning tower dangerously close to the fire pit. Before uttering another word, Tatsuha leapt across the room and moved the pillows, breathing a sigh of relief that Ryuichi hadn't been burned to a crisp; he wouldn't have been able to live without the cute little burglar.

"What game?" Ryuichi asked innocently, oblivious to the glint in Tatsuha's eye.

"Let's have a staring contest." Tatsuha responded, pointing to his bedroom. He walked over to the door and motioned Ryuichi over. "Let's play in here so we won't wake Kuma up."

"Good idea!"

"Shh! Let's not wake him again." Tatsuha said quickly, exaggerating his eyes and covering Ryuichi's mouth.

They entered the room and Tatsuha immediately headed for the bed. He sat down in the middle and again motioned Ryuichi forward. When Ryuichi had joined him on the bed, Tatsuha quickly explained the rules.

"First one to blink loses." Tatsuha said after Ryuichi was sitting in front of him with his legs crossed, his game face on.

"Gotcha."

Tatsuha counted down, and Ryuichi stared as hard as he could at Tatsuha, determined not to lose. He leaned forward until he was almost nose to nose with the guard captain. Tatsuha could barely breathe. Ryuichi was less than an inch away. He did what anyone else who was madly in love with Ryuichi would have done; he grabbed Ryuichi's shoulders, pulled him even close, and kissed him.

"Tatsuha! You blinked!" Ryuichi exclaimed, his eyes big and popping. "You lose!"

"What?" Tatsuha said, a little bit confused. But then again, this was Ryuichi. "That wasn't a blink..."

"Oooh, are we playing tag again?" Ryuichi asked, giving Tatsuha a quick peck on the cheek before the bewildered guard could say no tag backs.

"No..." Tatsuha answered, touching his cheek where Ryuichi had kissed it. He had to fight the urge to faint.

"Oh." Ryuichi said, his brow furrowed in thought. "Than what was it?"

"Ummm..." Tatsuha said, unsure of what to do. On one hand, he could profess his love for Ryuichi and they would end up happily ever after. But on the other, not so happy, hand, he could tell Ryuichi everything and get slapped and screamed at...maybe even Kumagoro beamed. He shuddered; it was definitely too risky to spill his guts at this point and time. "It was nothing...just a...Ryuichi?"

While Tatsuha had been having his internal struggle, Ryuichi had gotten bored. His attention didn't stray far, however, and by the time Tatsuha was ready with an ill-prepared answer, he was sound asleep on Tatsuha's pillow. Tatsuha almost died on the spot at the sight. There was Ryuichi, sound asleep in his bed. He whispered a quick thanks to Allah, and curled up next to the older man, cuddling him close and hoping against hope that he wouldn't wake up before the dawn.

* * *

The early morning sunlight illuminated his face perfectly; he looked like an angel. His skin was as smooth as the finest silks, his hair as soft as pillow down, and his beautiful face looked like it had been chiseled by the muses. The way his hair fell across his sleeping face could make anyone sigh, and the way he looked wrapped in the tangled bed sheets could melt anyone's heart. Unless of course that person was the one lying next to him.

Yuki was propped up on one elbow, watching Shuichi sleep peacefully next to him. He couldn't believe that he was here, that last night had really happened. He sighed quietly and sat up, still watching Shuichi's slumbering face. He tore his eyes away, afraid that Shuichi would wake up and catch him. He had a reputation to maintain, after all. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone ever knowing that he harbored a romantic side, or even a side that barely tipped that way. He was the ice king, the heartless master of sarcasm, the devilishly nonchalant cool guy.

He watched the sky lightening through Shuichi's windows. The light allowed him to study his lover even more closely, and he valued the opportunity. Even though Yuki had just met him, there was something about Shuichi that made him feel at peace with his life, and that was worth more to him than anything else in the world. He had never been satisfied with his status and he had always hated the way that he had to live his life. But when he was with Shuichi, none of that seemed to matter. Something about his ridiculous hair, or his gorgeous eyes, or his-

Yuki stopped himself and closed his eyes. He couldn't let anyone see him this vulnerable. Even though he wasn't thinking aloud, he was sure his facial expressions would give him away in an instant. He slid down onto his back and tried to fall back asleep, eager to dream about what had happened last night. His eyelids closed slowly, and a smile flitted across his face.

_He rolled off of Shuichi, breathing heavily. He fell back on the pillows and pulled Shuichi over to him, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Shuichi draped an arm across Yuki's chest, kissing his neck softly. He snuggled closer to Yuki and put his head on his shoulder, sighing deeply. _

_"Wow..." Shuichi murmured, closing his eyes._

_"Shh..." Yuki said, stroking Shuichi's hair. He wasn't quite ready for Shuichi to start talking again. He was enjoying the silence and didn't feel like he had the energy to even attempt a conversation. Being with Shuichi again, and away from K and Ryuichi, had acted as a stimulant for him, and he had never been more exhausted in his entire career._

_Shuichi listened for once and stayed quiet. After about five minutes of continued silence, however, he got bored and started to kiss Yuki's neck again. He worked his way up, and when he was about an inch away from Yuki's right ear, Yuki rolled on top of him and kissed him back, successfully distracting Shuichi and safeguarding his weak spot._

_Shuichi moaned and entwined his arms around Yuki, arching his back. Yuki broke the kiss and ran his lips down Shuichi's neck and chest-_

Shuichi coughed loudly, and rolled over in his sleep, bringing him face to face with Yuki and only inches separated them. Yuki pulled Shuichi partially onto his chest and tried to recall the dream.

_Yuki fell away from Shuichi for the second time, again drawing deep breaths to slow his heart rate. Shuichi flopped onto his pillows, panting and drenched with sweat._

_"I'm so glad you're not dead..." Shuichi panted, looking sideways at Yuki._

_"Hmm." Yuki replied, taking another deep breath and turning over onto his stomach. "I'm happy for you."_

_"Aww, come on, be nice." Shuichi said, frowning at Yuki's sarcasm._

_"I think I've been nice enough." Yuki said with a smirk, turning his head to face Shuichi._

_"True..." Shuichi said back, smiling sheepishly. Before he could say anything else, a huge yawn overpowered him. He sighed, and turned to face Yuki again. "Night, Yuki."_

_"Goodnight." Yuki responded, allowing Shuichi to give him a soft goodnight kiss before he disappeared under the silk sheets. Yuki ran a hand through his mussed hair and burrowed into his pillow, smiling now that his face was hidden from the world. He threw an arm over Shuichi's waist and fell asleep to the sound of his lover's heart beat._

Yuki came to with Shuichi in his arms and the morning sunlight blazing into the room. He rocked Shuichi a few times and kissed his head, trying to wake him up. The dream had given him a few ideas of how they could spend the morning. Instead of waking up, though, Shuichi hugged Yuki and hid his face in Yuki's neck. Yuki shifted away from Shuichi and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a bit. When Yuki released him, Shuichi fell onto his stomach and continued to sleep, unaware of the attempts to wrench him out of dream land.

"Dammit..." Yuki muttered, thinking of an effective way of rousing Shuichi. "Come on...get up..."

He started poking Shuichi's back, and when that didn't work, he ruffled his hair up and pushed on his head a few times, almost flipping him over. He sighed in frustration and got out of the bed, grabbing his pants off of the floor and putting them back on. He walked over to the balcony and breathed in the morning air. He leaned against the railing and stared over at the windows to his suite, wondering if K and Ryuichi were up yet and back to spying.

He jumped slightly when someone put their arms around his waist and snuggled into his back, terrified that K was trying to trick him, but soon realized it was merely Shuichi. He exhaled slowly and turned around to face his attacker.

"Finally awake?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Barely." Shuichi replied groggily, tying his robe. He hadn't bothered to put a shirt on, and it was a little bit chilly on the balcony.

"Then let's go back to bed." Yuki said, grabbing Shuichi's hand and leading him back to the bed.

"Again?" Shuichi asked in surprise.

Yuki looked over his shoulder and chuckled a little bit.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. I was talking about sleeping." Yuki said, enjoying the opportunity to tease someone without being threatened with an explosive weapon.

Shuichi's face turned red and he ran ahead of Yuki, jumping onto the bed and immediately sliding under the covers. Yuki walked over, and sat next to the lump that was Shuichi.

"What are you doing now?" he asked, slightly curious.

"Nothing..." Shuichi said, wishing his face would return to its normal color. Yuki probably thought he was an immature idiot.

"Right." Yuki replied, throwing the covers off of Shuichi and raising both eyebrows. He smirked at the look of shock on Shuichi's face.

"Hey!" Shuichi said, making a grab for the covers. When Yuki held them out of his reach behind his back, Shuichi smacked his chest and gave him his best glare.

"Is that all you got? I'm so scared..." Yuki said dropping the covers and giving Shuichi the tiniest of shoves.

Shuichi smacked Yuki in the head with a pillow and tackled him, trying to tickle him and failing.

"I'm not ticklish." Yuki said, staring up at Shuichi, hoping that Shuichi would never know the truth about his ears. The prince was sitting on his stomach with his arms folded, glaring at Yuki.

"I hate you." Shuichi said, trying to sound mean. Yuki continued to stare at him, nonplussed.

"Really?" Yuki asked, putting his hands on Shuichi's legs and smiling slightly.

Shuichi bit his lip and shook his head, grinning like a fool. He reached down and grabbed Yuki's wrists, planning on redirecting his hands, but Yuki's gasp of pain stopped him.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" Shuichi asked, looking extremely concerned. "I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's not you..." Yuki said, nursing his wrist. Shuichi had grabbed his lava burn, and it was still tender where he had scraped it the night before. "It's nothing, really..."

"Let me see." Shuichi said, gingerly taking Yuki's hand into his and examining the jagged burn. He pressed it to his lips and released it.

Yuki kissed Shuichi's hand and pulled him down so that the smaller of the two was lying on top of him. Shuichi sat up, removed his robe, and kissed Yuki, running his hands through the golden hair. Yuki returned the favor and twisted around, pinning Shuichi underneath him.

"What, no more blushing?" Yuki asked, noticing the serious, yet excited, expression on Shuichi's gorgeous face.

"Not this time." Shuichi answered, massaging Yuki's shoulders.

"Good. Maybe now you can start repaying your debt." Yuki said in a matter of fact tone, biting one of Shuichi's fingers when he suddenly stopped the massage.

"What debt?" Shuichi asked, slightly worried about what Yuki would make him do. Some of the things he'd already done still blew his mind.

"You owe me. I saved your ass from the guards, I gave you a place to stay, and then..." Yuki replied, leaning in and whispering a few of his exploits from the previous night into Shuichi's ear.

"Then I guess I'd better start repaying you." Shuichi answered, fighting the urge to run and deciding to stay.

Yuki grinned and took a hold of Shuichi's wrists, holding his hands against the pillow, thankful that no one was around to see what he was about to do to the younger prince.

* * *

So…I decided to spice things up a bit. Never done that before, as it's waaay outside my comfort zone, but I had fun with it. I miss the comedy, though, and I'm pretty excited about getting back to it. I can promise some intense Caspian/Tohma antics in the next chapter, so there's something to look forward to…for me at least.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did,

Amaya


	18. Chapter 16

"Are we even now?" Shuichi asked an hour later, nuzzling Yuki's neck.

"Not even close." Yuki said, sitting up and stretching.

"Hey! I tried!" Shuichi said indignantly.

Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"I did!" Shuichi said. He chucked a pillow at Yuki when he raised his other eyebrow and got out of bed, stomping off to his closet.

Yuki laughed quietly and got up too, pulling on his disheveled clothes. He figured he'd hold this debt over Shuichi's head for as long as possible. He wanted the benefits to last.

"What are you gonna do today?" Shuichi called from the closet.

"Try not to get myself killed, remember?" Yuki replied. Shuichi had made sure to remind him about Tohma and his deranged bird several times. He was clearly worried that Yuki might die for real.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Shuichi said, walking back into the room. He tied a burgundy sash around his waist, completing his new ensemble. "But seriously, don't underestimate the parrot, he's got a screw loose."

"I'm not afraid of a bird. Trust me, I've fought off worse than him." Yuki said, straightening his shirt. He still wasn't used to the nicer clothes. K had spent half an hour lecturing him about keeping them nice and orderly, and Yuki didn't feel like he had the energy to withstand a K attack this morning.

"Yuki!" Shuichi said, worry etched across his face.

"Fine, fine, I'll watch out for the damn parrot."

Shuichi beamed at him from the other side of the room, looking extremely pleased. Yuki sighed, and sat back down on the bed. He felt like he'd been run over by a rampaging elephant. In the future, he was going to have to restrain himself when in the presence of Shuichi.

"You ok?" Shuichi asked, combing out his hair and glancing over at Yuki. "You don't look so good."

"Just tired." Yuki replied, wondering how Shuichi could sound so awake.

"Me too..." Shuichi said, skipping over to the balcony and pulling open the curtains.

"Morning person, are you?" Yuki asked bitterly, stifling a yawn and shielding his eyes with his arm.

"I'm an all day person Yuki!" Shuichi replied, tying back the curtains.

Yuki lowered his arm a smidgeon and stared at Shuichi; the kid was getting more hyper by the second.

"I'd better get back. Otherwise K'll show up, shoot at me, and start demanding an explanation for my tardiness." Yuki said, rubbing his temples and getting up.

"Ok!" Shuichi said, running over to Yuki and giving him a quick kiss. "Don't get shot!"

Yuki's eyes widened slightly and he fumbled for the door handle. Shuichi was freaking him out a little bit. Sure, he knew the kid wasn't exactly a great conversationalist, but it wasn't even nine o'clock yet and he was already chipper as a chipmunk. He said goodbye to Shuichi and ducked into the hallway, a little bit relieved to be away from the manic maniac.

"Ah, there he is. Good morning." someone in the shadows said when Yuki had rounded the corner.

"Excuse me?" Yuki said, squinting into the darkness. "Who's there?"

"It's just me, your friendly neighborhood vizier." Tohma answered, stepping into the light and smiling at Yuki. Several guards flanked him.

Yuki's blood ran cold at the sight. Shuichi had said Tohma was harmless, but he hadn't said anything about his guards.

"What do you want?" Yuki asked, swallowing. He tried his best at a glare. Tohma didn't even flinch.

"Only wanted to say hi." Tohma replied. "And to tell you you're under arrest. Guards."

"What for?" Yuki said, taking several steps back and wishing he hadn't left K's lamp in the suite.

"Does it really matter, Prince?" Tohma said, putting a lot of emphasis on his last word. "I could list several...infractions."

The guards moved forward, several fingering their swords. Yuki thought about bolting back to Shuichi's room and jumping off the balcony, but he didn't want to endanger him.

"Breaking curfew, trespassing, breaking and entering, inappropriate behavior..." Tohma read off of a list, enjoying himself immensely. "Shall I continue?"

"Not necessary." Yuki said, realizing that there wasn't a way out of this. Hopefully K would get suspicious and come looking for him. He put up his hands and let the guards tie his hands.

"Let's get going gentlemen." Tohma said, putting the list away and smirking at Yuki.

Yuki glared back, this time succeeding. Tohma gulped and walked a few feet ahead of the group, unwilling to get too close to Yuki. When the group reached the ground floor, Tohma threw up his hand to halt the procession.

"I'll take him from here guys. It's no problem." Tohma said. If Yuki made it to the dungeons, he'd be too well-guarded for Caspian's plan to succeed.

"Yes, sir." one of them replied, giving Tohma a giddy smile. The guard next to him elbowed him in the ribs.

Tohma grabbed one of Yuki's arms and steered him down the hallway, aiming for his office.

"I got you this time..." Tohma muttered. "You're dead, you stupid little cockroach."

"Right..." Yuki replied, rolling his eyes. Internally, however, his stomach was doing back-flips. Tohma was going to kill him, and K might not get there in time to save him.

Tohma ignored Yuki's weak reply and marched him over to the broom closet door, making sure no one was watching. He shoved him into the office and locked the door behind him.

"Took you long enough." Caspian said, climbing out of his cage and stretching. "I fell asleep waiting on you."

"I had to wait for him to leave the prince's room." Tohma said, pushing Yuki into a chair and tying his hands to the back of it. He started to cross the room, but a kick from Yuki sent him into a spectacular face plant instead. Tohma got off the floor and threw one of his shoes at Caspian, who was on his back, cackling with laughter. He stomped over to Yuki and bound his legs as well. For good measure, he shoved a cloth in his mouth to keep him quiet. It took Caspian a few minutes to regain his composure enough to speak.

"Did...did everything go according to plan? Were the guards suspicious?" Caspian asked, still gasping slightly.

"Yeah, they didn't suspect a thing. I took your advice and used those idiots that guard the throne room to watch Shuichi's room for me. They almost screwed it up, though..." Tohma said, dusting off his clothes and taking a seat behind his desk. "They scared him off the first time he showed up. At least he managed to find a way inside."

Yuki glared at Tohma, his ego still mortally wounded after the guard's teasing. He couldn't believe it had all been a set-up, let alone one engineered by a bird.

"They helped with the arrest too. We're golden." Tohma said, putting his arms behind his head and winking at Yuki. "I'm going to go tell Mika that he's gone, most likely dead in the streets. Some little sob story like that."

"No, we need to do this right." Caspian said, pacing on his cage. "Call a conference, make sure everyone is there; his retainers, the guards that arrested him, the Prince...everyone."

"Why?" Tohma asked, curious about the bird's intentions.

"Because." Caspian said, flying over and landing on Yuki's head. "We need to make this official, plus, it'll kill the Prince. Bonus points."

Yuki shook his head violently, unseating Caspian, at the mention of Shuichi.

"Oh, look, birdman. Someone's in love." Tohma sneered, getting up and patting Yuki on the head. Yuki tried to kick him, hit him, anything, but he was bound too tightly. All he could do was give Tohma his angriest glare.

"Go arrange the conference. The sooner, the better. We need to get these rats out of here." Caspian said, jumping up from the floor and landing on Yuki's shoulder.

"What are you going to do?" Tohma asked as he grabbed his feather boa off of the coat rack by the door and slung it around his shoulders.

"I'm going to kill him of course."

"You're going to kill him?" Tohma said incredulously. Yuki was a full-grown, very strong, man. Caspian was a tiny bird. Homicidal, yes, but tiny.

"Just go, Tohma. I'll...take care of things here." Caspian said, looking absolutely evil. When Yuki tried to shake him off again, Caspian sank his beak into his ear, causing Yuki to scream and tip the chair over.

"Nice knowing you, street rat." Tohma said over his shoulder as he exited the office. He gave the office a final look before he shut the door; Caspian was rummaging around in his cage, muttering to himself, and Yuki was still on the floor, a surprisingly steady stream of blood flowing from his ear wound. Tohma shuddered, and closed the door, thankful that he wasn't going to be around for the violent conclusion of Caspian's master plan.

* * *

"He's late, Rug Man." K said, pacing the suite floor anxiously. True, he'd never given Yuki a specific time to return, but he was still much later than K had expected.

The rug didn't offer much of a response and instead continued to drift lazily around the room. The lack of Ryuichi and Yuki had been a welcome change for it. It missed the peace and quiet of the Cave of Random Objects.

"Maybe I should go check on him." K said, ceasing his pacing and glancing at the rug for reassurance.

The rug stopped drifting and made a cutthroat gesture, indicating that it in no way agreed with K's idea. When K stepped towards the door anyway, the rug swooped forward and grabbed his ponytail, yanking him away from the door.

"What do you mean, give him his privacy?" K asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "I never had you pegged as a supporter for Yuki's rights. I thought you hated him."

The rug nodded, and started to reconsider its answer. K sighed and started pacing again, wishing he had more than a carpet to talk to. Believe it or not, he was starting to miss Ryuichi and Yuki. At least they kept things interesting.

"Speaking of Ryuichi…wonder what he's up to…" K mused, thinking back to their encounter with Tatsuha, the guard captain. "He seemed pretty harmless. I can't imagine him hurting Ryuichi, just said he wanted to play a game."

The rug didn't seem too concerned either. Instead, it flitted out of the room, trying to decide whether or not to let K barge in on Yuki's first stint of privacy.

K sat down heavily on one of the couches, awaiting the rug's response.

"Like I need permission from a piece of carpet…" K muttered. A few seconds later, a cushion sailed through the air and smacked him in the back of the head. "HEY!"

The rug re-entered the room, trying its best to look innocent. K saw right through it and through the cushion back.

"I'm leaving, I have to go find him." K said, turning on his heel and heading for the door. "And no, you're not going to stop me."

The rug acted as if it were sighing and threw another pillow at K's retreating back. This was going to start one hell of a fight; Yuki was going to kill K. But on the other tassel, this would make Yuki miserable. Deciding that it supported anything that ruined Yuki's life, the rug rolled up and settled down in the corner for a morning snooze.

Out in the hall, K was formulating his game plan. He'd have to have a good excuse, or Yuki would filet him.

"He's going to livid anyway…" K muttered, walking down the hall. "Even if I had a real reason for dragging him out of there."

K whistled a tune and continued to amble through the palace. There was no need to hurry. The longer Yuki got to stay with his prince, the better off K would be. He figured he'd tell Yuki that the Sultana wanted to see him, and rush him back to their suite to spiffy him up. At that point, he'd distract him with embarrassing questions. Hopefully, he'd forget about the fake meeting.

K finally reached Shuichi's hallway, feeling exceptionally pleased with himself. He was sure his plan would work. Clearing his throat confidently, he raised his fist to knock on the door. Without warning the door was pulled back and someone collided with him, knocking him over.

"I'm sorry!" the perpetrator squealed, running over to K and trying to hoist him up. He latched onto K's arm and pulled with all of his might. K stared at him quizzically, wondering what he was trying to do. Realizing that the poor kid was trying to help him up, K played along and stood up shakily, allowing the smaller person to support him for a few seconds.

"It's OK…" K said, patting the culprit on the shoulder and giving him a pained smile. K shook his ponytail out of his face and took a closer look at the person in front of him; it was the Prince. "Oh, your Majesty, good morning."

"Morning!" Shuichi said brightly, completely forgetting to be apologetic and concerned. "You're one of Yuki's friends, right?"

"Don't call him that!" K hissed, clapping a hand over Shuichi's mouth and then removing it immediately when he realized he'd practically assaulted the Prince. "He's supposed to be dead, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Shuichi said, nodding slowly and then winking at K. "Right right."

K raised an eyebrow, again finding himself questioning Yuki's taste. Sure, Shuichi was pretty, and rich, but he seemed like he was a few coconuts short of a palm tree. He weighed the negatives and positives, trying to figure out why Yuki had been so focused on getting to him. When he realized that Shuichi was staring at him with a quizzical expression, he cleared his throat and came back to the present.

"Speaking of _Eiri_, have you seen him?" K asked, halting the debate in his head and putting particular emphasis on Yuki's fake name.

"No…he left already." Shuichi said, looking over his shoulder to make sure Yuki wasn't secretly hiding in his room.

"Damn." K muttered, frustrated that he had once again lost his charge. "Any idea where he went?"

"He said he was going back to his room…he didn't want you to worry." Shuichi said, furrowing his brow as he recalled the information.

"More like he didn't want to get shot…" K said under his breath, thinking of where Yuki could have wandered off to. "You sure he didn't say anything about leaving the palace or going back to his place?"

"No, nothing like that…" Shuichi responded. He paused for a few seconds, obviously deep in thought. "Hey! Let's go look for him! I'll help!"

K looked down at Shuichi and saw Ryuichi's twin staring back at him. The enthusiasm, the excitement, the twitchiness…everything was the same. K sighed deeply and nodded, causing Shuichi to squeal with delight and start bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Where should we start?" Shuichi asked, still bouncing.

"First of all, stop that." K said, placing his hands on Shuichi's shoulders and holding him down. "We need to be calm. This isn't a game, he's missing."

"Oh…you think he's in trouble?" Shuichi asked, rapidly becoming serious.

"I'm not sure." K answered, a bit taken aback by Shuichi's sudden mood swing.

"We should check Tohma's office first." Shuichi said, still looking serious.

"Tohma? Isn't he the vizier?" K asked, only half paying attention. He was still trying to think of where Yuki could be.

"Yeah." Shuichi said, grabbing K's arm and dragging him down the hall. The taller of the two was still lost in his thoughts, and didn't really notice. "He has this murderous parrot, you see…that's what we should be worrying about."

"Why would a bird want to kill him?" K questioned, snapping out of his stupor. He couldn't come up with anything better than Shuichi's theory, so he figured he'd just run with it.

"Because he belongs to the vizier, and the vizier has been trying to kill him since he met me. He's the one that arrested him in the first place." Shuichi answered, continuing to drag K through the halls. "Tohma told me he was dead, and then he showed up here with you."

"Wait a minute, the vizier wants him dead?" K asked, realizing that Yuki and Ryuichi hadn't told him jack squat about themselves.

"Yeah, he said it was because he caught him with me. Yuki's a criminal too. Tohma said he was on some list or something. I guess Ryuichi's on it too, I think they work together." Shuichi said, navigating himself and K down a flight of stairs.

"Right." K answered, getting free of Shuichi and half-jogging down the stairs. When he found Yuki, he was going to kill him. He hadn't bargained for this mess. He was fine with helping Yuki get his prince, but this was outrageous. Not only was the guy wanted dead by one of the most powerful men in the city, but he was also a notorious criminal, along with Ryuichi. "I'm going to kill that little…"

"Come on, we have to check his office. Hopefully Caspian won't be there."

"I'm not too worried about a pint-sized feather ball." K said, fingering his gun and the fully-functioning gun-shaped lamp that Yuki had haphazardly left in the suite. K had grabbed it, worrying about Ryuichi causing a scene.

"You should be." Shuichi said, sounding scared.

The duo picked up their pace and hurried through the palace, taking the quickest route to Tohma's office. When they reached the main hall, however, a guard dashed forward and approached Shuichi.

"Majesty, the vizier and the Sultana want you to come to the throne room immediately." The guard said, sounding out of breath. "I'm sorry, I would have told you sooner, but I couldn't find you."

"Why do they want me?" Shuichi queried, constantly skeptical of Mika and Tohma's intentions.

"They wouldn't say, Prince. Please, hurry." the guard returned, gesturing towards the door and looking stressed.

"Alright." Shuichi responded, sighing. "I guess you're on your own." He said to K, looking worried. He hoped that he could find Yuki, and that the latter would be okay.

Shuichi walked into the throne room with K looking on. The doors closed behind him, leaving K standing alone in the entrance hall. K glanced around, wishing Shuichi had told him where the vizier's office was. He couldn't see any obvious locations, but Shuichi had led him here. Surely the office was somewhere nearby. He jogged around the room, following any off-shooting hallways, but quickly realizing that his search was fruitless; the hallways were all empty.

He returned to the entrance hall and took a second look. Tucked away behind a potted plant was a dingy door.

"You've got to be kidding me." K said, walking over to the door. He couldn't quite fathom why the vizier's office would be in a closet.

He wrenched open the door and the entrance hall was suddenly flooded with red light. From inside the office, he could hear the sound of gigantic drums. K gasped, and took a step back. He mouthed soundlessly, doing a very effective impression of a fish, and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What the hell…?"

* * *

Sorry this is so late…I thought I was on a roll, but apparently I wasn't. Fun times. It was kinda strange actually, I opened the document and found eight pages that I couldn't remember writing. Either I've been sleep-writing or the bird learned how to type. In either case, I hoped you enjoyed it. With any luck, the next update will only take two weeks. *crosses fingers*

Anyway, I'm glad to be back to writing Caspian scenes. I'm really excited about the upcoming scene…expect lots of Caspian antics. I'm going to my favorite place in the world, my zoo, tomorrow morning, so I'd better dash. Night folks.

-Amaya


	19. Chapter 17 Part A

"Can I help you?" Caspian asked over the booming drums, which were now joined with some rhythmic chanting. When K didn't answer, he flipped a switch in his cage and the music got louder.

K stepped forward into the office, still desperately trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. The office ceiling was littered with ominous red lights, and the deafeningly eerie music was coming from several large speakers that were scattered around the room. K blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and peered into the red light, trying to figure out what was happening.

Near a large cage against one of the walls was what looked like a control box. The dastardly parrot was seated amongst the controls, pushing buttons and cackling. K couldn't see what the small green terror was controlling until he followed the wire that was issuing from the box. When his eyes reached their destination, he gasped.

The other side of the office has been partially blocked off with heavy red curtains. At the base of the curtains were gigantic golden pots, and K wasn't sure what their purpose was. Behind the curtains was a large conveyor belt that was slowly moving forward. Positioned over the belt were various weapons; Caspian had affixed everything from kitchen cleavers to war maces to machetes to the ceiling.

"Like what you see? I do parties, too." Caspian said from the controls. K glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the devil bird stomp on a large button. A few seconds later, fire erupted from the golden bowls, giving the room an even creepier atmosphere.

K jumped back from the bowls and walked closer to the conveyor belt, slightly scared of what he would find.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Caspian screeched, flapping his wings and pushing a few more buttons. Some of the weapons swung forward, towards K.

K ducked just in time, and realized that all of the blades the bird had stockpiled were on moving arms, capable of making slicing and chopping motions on the belt. He crawled forward, staying low to avoid decapitation, and only pulled himself up when he was right next to the conveyor belt. Once he was on his knees, he poked the top half of his head over the edge of the belt and almost fell over backwards with shock; he was face to face with Yuki.

"MMMph!" Yuki yelled through his gag. His eyes were popping and his hair looked like it had been ravaged by the conure; copious amounts of it were missing, and there were several bald spots.

"Holy…" K muttered, standing up and turning around to face the bird.

"Step away from the belt or the rat gets it." Caspian said, gingerly perching himself on a lever and bouncing slightly. The blades twitched a little over Yuki and he yelled again, trying to roll off of the belt. "I'm warning you…"

"You're warning me?" K asked, summoning all of his bravado to face the murderous pipsqueak. "Seriously?"

"Alright then." Caspian answered, completely unflustered. "It's go time."

Caspian jumped up and down on the lever a few times, and his contraption creaked into action. Yuki sat up to avoid the first cleaver chop, and desperately tried to roll off of the belt again.

K ignored the parrot and turned back to Yuki. He tried to start untying the ropes around Yuki's waist and legs, but he couldn't make his hands move.

"Oh…" K muttered, remembering the rules that governed him as a genie. He couldn't intervene randomly, he was bound by the rules of the lamp to only fulfill wishes. He cleared his throat and leaned closer to Yuki. "You have to wish for me to save you."

As he couldn't coherently respond, Yuki simply glared at K and gestured with his head and the sinister blades descending towards him. He rolled to the side as best as he could to miss one of the machetes.

"Can't help you without the wish, you have to say-OUCH!" K screamed. Caspian had landed on his shoulder and was occupied with ferociously biting his neck.

K tried to slap the blood-sucking bird off, but Caspian instead sank his beak into K's fingers, holding on for dear life. K grabbed Caspian's tail and tried to yank him off, but to no avail. When his yanking resulted in Caspian losing a tail feather, the bird immediately let go and flew up to K's face, taking a chunk out of the man's nose before he could defend himself. Caspian flew back to the control panel and pulled on another lever, causing the blades and other weapons to move faster.

"Just make the wish!" K yelled in a slightly higher pitched voice; he had one hand tightly clamped over his bleeding nose.

Yuki made a few incomprehensible sounds and started to twitch frantically.

"Works for me." K said, snapping his fingers and causing a large cage to fall on top of Caspian, who was in attack formation and aiming for K, successfully imprisoning the raving lunatic. Caspian started yelling and running around the small cage in circles, trying to find a way out. When he saw K smiling at his misfortune, he charged the bars of the cage and knocked himself unconscious. K spared a few seconds for laughing at the defeated maniac and then snapped again. The control box exploded, showering the room with sparks. "That should do it."

Instead of stopping, however, the conveyor belt of doom only sped up. Smoke was billowing out of the mechanical arms and the blades were chopping randomly. Yuki held perfectly still, hoping against hope that nothing vital would get lobbed off.

"Shit." K said, wishing he had thought things through more. Before he could intervene, the machine sped up even more and subsequently exploded, sending the weapons flying all over the room. K shrieked and hit the floor as a throwing spear whizzed by his head.

When the thunks and metallic clanging noises stopped, K raised his head a fraction of an inch and squinted through the hazy smoke. On the conveyor belt, Yuki wasn't moving. K went numb. He jumped off of the floor and ran over to Yuki's still form. K checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief; he wasn't dead. There was a large bruise forming on his forehead, and K guessed that one of the weapon hilts had hit him in the head.

K untied the ropes and lifted Yuki off of the belt. He lightly smacked his face a few times, trying to wake him up. Yuki remained still, completely oblivious to K's rousing attempts. K sighed in frustration and put Yuki back on the conveyor belt.

"Come on you, get up…" K muttered, glancing over at Caspian's prison to make sure the bird hadn't gnawed through the bars. Returning to the task at hand, K smacked Yuki a little harder, this time trying to jar him awake. Yuki didn't so much as twitch. "Dammit man."

K ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of his next move. He walked over to Caspian's holding cell and stared at the bird imprisoned inside. Feathers littered the bottom of the little cage and Caspian was sprawled flat on his back with his feet sticking straight up and his tongue hanging out of his beak. K shook his head, unwilling to believe that such a tiny bird could cause such large-scale destruction. As he turned around to continue his waking attempts, he noticed something red glinting off of Caspian's grayish beak.

"Eugh…" K said, feeling slightly sick. He gingerly felt around his own bird wounds and decided to check Yuki out. He walked over to Yuki and started to examine his limp form, looking him over for any serious injuries.

Yuki's once-glorious head of hair was blotched with bald spots. There was blood matted in a few locks and Yuki's face was very pale. His shirt and pants were ripped where Caspian had attacked him and from the various scrapes and scratches of the conveyor belt. K shook his head, glad that Yuki had been the one birdnapped and not him.

Feeling slightly relieved that Yuki's injuries weren't life-threatening or oozing blood, K took a few minutes to calm himself down. He closed his eyes and did some deep breathing, focusing on ridding himself of his bad bird thoughts. When he opened his eyes, however, the first thing he noticed was a dark red trickle running down Yuki's neck. His ear had a gaping cut and some blood was still running out of it at a leisurely pace.

K reached out towards Yuki's ear, intent on gauging the severity of the gash. When his fingers brushed against Yuki's ear lobe, Yuki came to with a blood-curdling screech, causing K to fall over backwards in surprise.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Yuki screamed, clapping a hand to his assaulted ear and then wincing with the pain of it.

"Trying to help…?" K offered from the floor, a little bit too afraid to get off of it.

Yuki glared at K and massaged his ear. Several silent minutes passed, and K spent them watching Caspian drool. Yuki's mind was racing with everything he'd heard before Tohma had left him in Caspian's clutches. He stayed quiet for the time being, trying to formulate a plan without K interrupting him. He had to stop Tohma before one of his cockamamie plans succeeded. He didn't feel like getting murdered by a parrot anytime soon.

"We need to find Shuichi." K finally said, worrying about what the dark look on Yuki's face would portend for him. "The Sultana and the vizier summoned him and he seemed pretty uneasy about it."

Yuki didn't answer K and got off of the conveyor belt with a sigh. He had a feeling things were going downhill fast wherever Tohma and Shuichi were; he had heard Tohma's plan before Caspian was left to his own devices.

"Where are they holding the conference?" Yuki asked when he reached the door. Abandoning all his partially formulated plans of ending Tohma, Yuki decided to simply crash the party and call Tohma out, hoping that Mika would take his word.

"How'd you know about that? I think it's just a faculty meeting or something. We'll wait outside." K replied.

"No. They're going to tell everyone that I'm dead, Shuichi will believe them. I'm not going to let Tohma get away with it again." Yuki said, opening the door and checking for the feather-clad vizier or his idiotic guard companions. "Move it."

"You have a plan, maestro? Or are you just going to barge in there looking like hell warmed over?" K asked, relishing any opportunity to screw with Yuki's head.

"We don't have time for a plan!" Yuki answered, frustrated with the hired help.

K raised his eyebrows and smiled at Yuki. It was nice to see him so concerned about someone other than himself.

"I don't need you, just stay here." Yuki said, his temper starting to flare.

"Hold your horses cowboy jack, I'm coming. But no one deserves that punishment…" K said, walking over to Yuki and rolling up his sleeves.

"What punishment?" Yuki asked, only half paying attention; a guard had just walked by the door.

"Seeing your hair like that." K responded, a huge smile in place. He snapped his fingers and a comb appeared; K picked it up and advanced on Yuki.

Yuki sighed and took a step away from the door, watching K getting closer, and wondered why he had gotten stuck with the demented genie.

* * *

"Where are the retainers?" Tohma hissed to the guard that had just escorted Shuichi into the throne room. "They're supposed to be here too!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't find the shorter one, and the tall one..."

"Well?" Tohma asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

"He's scary."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Tohma muttered. He shook his head and moved on, wanting to make sure that he got every detail of Caspian's plan right; he had to remove any witnesses. Mika would never think of asking these two any questions. "Just get out of here, go watch…the north tower for me."

The guard gave Tohma a big smile, inclined his head at Mika, grabbed his companion, and dashed out of the room.

"Tohma! I don't have all morning! Can we just get this over with already?" Mika called from her throne, clearly not happy about her morning being taken up with Tohma's so-called 'important' announcements.

"I'm sorry, milady, we're still missing a few-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Mika yelled. "I do NOT have time to spare for your stupidity!"

Beside her, Shuichi sniggered, enjoying any occasion on which Mika's screaming wasn't aimed at him.

"Don't make me start on you." Mika said, a tone of finality in her voice. "And Tohma, I'm serious, just say what you need to say."

"Can't we wait a bit longer?" Tohma asked, shuffling up to the throne room and giving Mika his saddest look.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Tohma."

"Some of us have lives…" Shuichi whispered, thinking about Yuki and hoping that K had been able to find him.

"Quiet!" Mika and Tohma said together. Shuichi took a step back, startled by the joint assault.

"Jeez…" Shuichi said, putting his hands up and continuing to back away from the throne.

"You stay out of this." Mika commanded, pointing at Shuichi. "And you..."

"Yes, milady?" Tohma asked, slightly worried about what would happen next; Mika didn't look too happy.

"You have ten minutes. And then we're starting…no matter who's here and who's not."

"Than-" Tohma started, but Mika cut him off.

"No talking."

The hall remained silent as requested for a few minutes. Tohma paced around the room, back and forth, nervously checking the door every couple of turns. Shuichi plopped down on the floor and watched Tohma, his mind focused on thoughts of Yuki and K.

He was slightly relieved to see that Tohma was accounted for and where he could keep an eye on him, but he couldn't shake the suspicion that he was missing something. He continued to watch the agitated vizier and tried to think of where Yuki could be. He had led K to Tohma's office. He was sure that K would've thought to check the dungeons; he had told him that Yuki and Ryuichi were thieves.

When he pictured all the things that could be happening to Yuki, he shuddered, and tried to think about something else. Instead, he started to wonder if Tohma had really done anything at all. What if Yuki had left, and just not told K? Or what if this was some kind of joke?

"But what if it's not one of those funny jokes and it's just a mean one...?" Shuichi said to himself, tears starting to well up.

"Quiet." Mika snapped from the throne, choosing to ignore Shuichi's obvious distress.

Shuichi cast a pained look at Mika and then turned his back to her, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He had thought last night had gone well, but then again, what did he know? He shook his head violently in an attempt to shake the bad thoughts out, but all he could do was picture Yuki leaving. He glanced over at Tohma again, hoping to catch a deviant expression or a dastardly twitch, but he couldn't detect anything.

A tear slipped out and ran down his cheek, splashing onto the marble floor of the throne room. He watched it dance in the morning light, and then the floodgates let loose.

"Oh come on…you're mopping that up later." Mika said, lifting her feet onto the throne to avoid the puddles from Shuichi's noisy tears. "Get a grip."

Shuichi was unable to respond, and instead rolled over, going into the fetal position. The wailing continued and got shriller, causing Mika to cover her ears and Tohma to snap out of his hypnotic pacing.

"Do something about him!" Mika shouted at Tohma, considering every negative thing that morning to be his fault. If it weren't for him, she'd still be sleeping.

"Yes, ma'am." Tohma answered, turning to face Shuichi. Tohma blinked a few times, a bit shocked by what he was seeing; Shuichi was practically liquefying in front of him. "It's the puddle form, we'd better get a mop."

"Don't you live in a broom closet?!" Mika yelled back, wishing her vizier didn't appear to have the mind of a three year old.

"Yes, but-" Tohma tried to respond, but he was cut off by an extra-loud screech from Shuichi. Instead of traipsing back to the office, as he wasn't looking forward to the clean-up of Caspian's scheme, he calmly walked over to Shuichi and nudged him with his foot a couple of times. "You're going to stain the rug."

"Rug…?" Shuichi asked, rolling over and looking at Tohma. He wasn't used to being interrupted in such a manner; most people usually left, afraid of getting their shoes wet. He took a deep breath and stared at Tohma, thinking that something was missing. And then it hit him. "Where's Caspian?"

"Who?" Tohma asked innocently, giving Mika a big smile over his shoulder.

"Yeah, where's the bird Tohma?" Mika asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. Tohma hardly ever ventured out of the closet without Caspian in tow, and she had never known the pesky parrot to miss any of Tohma's announcements.

"He's feeling under the weather." Tohma spat out, realizing that he couldn't play dumb this time.

"I'm surprised that he didn't order you to move the announcement." Mika said, her eyes still narrowed. Still on the floor, Shuichi was starting to panic; the bird was loose.

"He's not the boss of me!" Tohma said indignantly, not at all appreciating the slight.

"Sometimes I wonder." Mika responded curtly. "And your time's up Tohma, just say what you need to say."

"Fine…" Tohma said, realizing defeat and knowing when not to push it.

Mika straightened her legs and cleared her throat, attempting to ready herself for whatever Tohma was about to throw her way. Shuichi picked himself off of the floor, now extremely worried about Yuki's safety now that he knew Caspian was missing in action.

"I've called this meeting to discuss some important, and grave, matters." Tohma began, switching over to his professional mode. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. Sometimes he got tired of looking like a moron. "My news concerns Prince Eiri."

Shuichi tried not to let any emotion show in his face, as Tohma was staring right at him, but it was next to impossible for him; he gasped and Tohma smirked, clearly pleased with the response. Shuichi glared back at him and tried not to betray his feelings any more than he already had.

"As I was saying…" Tohma started again, a devilish smile in place.

"What's wrong? He didn't leave did he?" Mika asked Tohma, looking frantic. Shuichi whimpered softly and Mika turned her attention on him. "What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!" Shuichi croaked, beating back the bad thoughts that were threatening to strangle him.

"Maybe that's the problem." Mika said back, her tone laden with icy anger.

"I'm afraid that your guess is right, milady." Tohma said in a loud voice, heading off any further fighting between Mika and her stepson. "I went to his suite to introduce myself and he was gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Mika asked, looking skeptically frantic.

"No one's seen him in the palace since early this morning." Tohma replied, trying hard to keep his voice steady and wishing that Mika would stop looking at him like that.

"Who told you this? Who saw him? How do you know he's gone?" Mika said quickly.

"A few guards, some servants, I asked around a bit." Tohma responded. "I guarantee you that he's not in this palace."

Mika was silent for a while, unwilling to believe that her golden goose had flown the coop. Shuichi had backed up a bit, trying to distance himself from the situation. Tohma had to be lying, Yuki wouldn't have left, he couldn't have.

"Not after last night…" Shuichi murmured to himself.

Shuichi looked over at Tohma, trying to see through his calm demeanor and steady eyes; all of the vizier's normal twitchiness was absent. Shuichi didn't know if this was a good sign or not, but usually Tohma was at his most dangerous whenever he wasn't clowning around for Mika's favor. But most importantly, the feather ball of doom was missing, and Shuichi was sure that he was up to no good, wherever he was.

He took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down and kept telling himself that Yuki was fine, that he would see him soon as he left the conference. He walked over to the nearest pillar and leaned against it, looking relaxed to fool Mika; he wasn't about to let her know how he felt about her new favorite.

"We need to send out a search party, Tohma." Mika said finally, her voice serious. "I want all the guards we can spare, and go tell his assistants that he's gone."

"I'll let them know immediately, milady, but the search party would be a fruitless waste of resources." Tohma responded, bowing his head looking grave.

"What do you mean?" Mika asked, staring directly at Tohma. By his pillar, Shuichi's head snapped up; all of his doubts came back and this time he was failing to fight them off. If Tohma was taking it this far, there had to be some truth to it. The man was nigh incapable of lying to Mika.

"I searched the city myself, and I found this." Tohma said severely, pulling a bloody silk shirt out of his pocket; it looked exactly like Yuki's. He was smiling on the inside, glad that he'd conjured it up earlier. He had always had a flare for the dramatic.

Shuichi gasped, completely taken aback. He had been telling himself that everything was fine, and now he had the evidence right in front of him. Mika stood up and practically ran over to Tohma, wrenching the shirt from his grasp.

"What the hell is this?" Mika questioned, shaking the bloodied shirt at Tohma. "Where's the Prince?"

"He's dead, Sultana." Tohma answered, his voice ringing through the room.

_To be continued…_

* * *

Uh oh, cliffhanger. I figured that the chapter was long enough and I didn't want the next one to be too short. I have a few scheduled chapter breaks coming up and I didn't want to mess myself up anymore than Caspian already has. :) Speaking of the bird man, he turned four a couple of weeks ago. Ah, they grow up so fast.

Caspian was in charge of the office/conveyor belt scene, it was his big moment to shine. He was way too excited…I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I'd better finish up the next one instead of rambling around on this post…over and out peeps.

-Amaya


	20. Chapter 17 Part B

_"He's dead, Sultana." Tohma answered, his voice ringing through the room._

"NO!" Shuichi screamed, forgetting that he was supposed to hate his new suitor. "You're lying!"

Mika cast a shocked glance at Shuichi, but immediately returned her attention to Tohma.

"This could be anyone's shirt, you don't know that it's his!" she screeched, trying to find any excuse to discount Tohma's claim.

"I overheard some…dark conversation." Tohma replied, putting his fingertips together underneath his chin and sighing.

"Go on." Mika ordered, convinced that she'd find a hole in Tohma's explanation. If she didn't, everything would be ruined.

"They were talking about the parade, you know, the one that Prince Eiri arrived with." Tohma said slowly. He quickened his cadence when he saw Mika's face, however. "Anyway, they were talking about finding him in the streets and…well…"

"SPIT IT OUT!" Shuichi yelled at Tohma. He had left his pillar since the beginning of Tohma's story and was now standing next to Mika, looking crazed.

"That's where I found the shirt. They had it. I brought them in for questioning, of course, as that's my job, and they confessed to killing him. I had them executed immediately."

"Then they must have been lying." Yuki snapped from the now-open doors of the throne room. He and K had been listening intently on the other side of the door, waiting for the perfect moment to burst in.

The entire room went silent. Tohma gaped at Yuki, at a complete loss for words. Mika leaned forward and looked from him to the bloody shirt, trying to figure out what had just happened. Deciding that nothing but the fact that Eiri was alive mattered, she dropped the shirt and started smiling like a kid at Christmas. Shuichi, on the other hand, squealed some incoherent noise that sounded a lot like "Yuki!" and threw himself at the masquerading street rat.

"I…what…huh?" Tohma stuttered, absorbed in the shock of the moment. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; Caspian had never before failed in assassinating his mark.

"Run out of clever excuses?" Yuki asked curtly, not at all pleased about his role in Caspian's grand scheme. He gave Shuichi, who was now wrapped around his middle, a quick hug and then tried to detach himself from his clutches.

"Tohma." Mika said, a snarl apparent in her voice. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I…don't know…" Tohma answered in a hollow voice. His entire world was collapsing. He hadn't even considered that Caspian's plan would fail. He glanced around the room in a hopeless despair, wondering how Mika would kill him and if Caspian would get away in time to save himself.

"You're not dead again!" Shuichi said, not bothering to contain his obvious happiness. In the rush of emotions connected with Yuki's second death and sudden arrival, he had forgotten that he was supposed to hate him.

"I'll deal with you in a minute." Mika snapped at Tohma, who was quivering on the floor and pulling clumps of feathers out of his boa. "What's your deal?" She directed at Shuichi, who was still attached to Yuki's waist.

"He had a change of heart." Yuki answered, not trusting his disguise, and head, to Shuichi.

"Apparently." Mika responded, raising her eyebrows but nonetheless looking pleased. "Does this mean you choose him?"

"Don't answer that." Yuki whispered as quietly as he could to Shuichi, who still had a goofy smile plastered across his face. Sure, he was happy now, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to spend the remainder of his days with the hyped-up maniac.

"Dunno." Shuichi replied, his spirit slightly dampened by Yuki's words.

Mika stared at Shuichi for a while, her head looking like it was ready to explode. She had no patience; Tohma had used it all up.

"Fine. We'll discuss this later." Mika finally said, sighing and shaking her head. "Tohma. Your turn."

"Huh?" Tohma asked in a high-pitched voice. He stood up shakily and tried to hide the pile of feathers from his boa behind him. "You need something, milady?"

"Don't start that mess. You can't play dumb now, Tohma." Mika said, crossing her arms and glaring at Tohma. "Now, what's going on? You owe me an explanation."

Tohma looked from Yuki to Mika, trying to find a way out of this mess. If he tried to run for it, the taller retainer might tackle him, not to mention getting past Yuki and Shuichi. And if he lied, Mika would surely see through it and his punishment would at least double. Deciding that it was immediately safer to spin a lie and try to out-smart the street rat and his crew, he cleared his throat and hoped for the best.

"I must have heard the culprits wrong…maybe they were confessing to another murder, I don't know." Tohma answered, throwing up his hands and trying to look perplexed. "I thought the shirt was his, it looked the same."

"I see three issues with that. First, you need to get your hearing checked, obviously. Second, you're no longer in charge of dealing with crime; that's Tatsuha's responsibility now. And third, why the hell are you paying so much attention to other men's clothing?" Mika said, looking very satisfied with herself.

"He was important to you, I happened to notice what he looked like." Tohma said through gritted teeth. He ignored her first two points entirely. "I'm sorry I made the mistake, but those men that I brought in killed someone, they were guilty. I made the right call."

Mika nodded a couple of times and walked back over to her throne. She sat down and considered Tohma's explanation; it seemed to check out. He had made mistakes in the past, he was Tohma. The thing that wasn't adding up was how Prince Eiri was reacting; why was he so agitated about Tohma's mistake? And how had he known exactly when to burst into the room, and that the conference was even taking place?

"There are a few things that don't quite make sense, Tohma. Why were you scrambling to make excuses? If it was an honest mistake why didn't you just say so?" Mika asked. Then she turned to Yuki. "And why-"

"Because he's lying." Yuki answered, cutting Mika off and earning himself a glare from her. "He tried to kill me and now he's just trying to cover his tracks."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Mika whispered.

"No, milady, he's lying!" Tohma yelled, unwilling to lose the battle and his beloved head.

"That damn parrot tried to murder me." Yuki said, ignoring Tohma's outburst. "Go ahead, search the office. The entire place is covered in blood, feathers, and various weapons."

"Tohma." Mika said, unsure of what to do next. "Tell me this isn't true."

"It isn't true." Tohma chirped, thinking optimistically that Mika just wanted to hear a few empty words.

Mika stared at Tohma, feeling conflicted about what path to take. She could side with Tohma and tell the Prince that that was how Caspian made friends. She could tell him that she needed more proof, which she hoped he didn't have, and dismiss the matter entirely. In either of those cases, she risked insulting Prince Eiri and causing him to leave. At this thought, she glanced over at said Prince and saw that her idiotic stepson was still attached to his waist, a smile still in place though he seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Her last option was to believe the Prince and arrest Tohma. If she did that, he'd never forgive her, they were supposed to be a team after all. But, on the other hand, she couldn't lose Prince Eiri. Without him, the plan would never succeed. And she could always pardon Tohma later, and keep him hidden until she married off Shuichi.

"Tohma." Mika said, causing the room to fall silent.

"Yes, Sultana?" Tohma asked cautiously. He was unsure of his fate, and he knew it was far too late to continue his pointless lies. Yuki was looking murderous, and Tohma didn't know if he'd make it out of the throne room alive even if Mika sided with him.

"You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Prince Eiri. Guards!" Mika said, her voice ringing through the room. Several guards immediately jogged in from the entrance hall. Tohma was sad to see that his two accomplices had listened to him and were guarding some remote tower; they might have helped him escape. "And make sure you round up the parrot too."

"Yay!" Shuichi squealed, thrilled to see Tohma overthrown at last. He started to jump up and down, almost knocking Yuki over.

"Alright, that's it, let go!" Yuki said, renewing his attempts to pry Shuichi off of him. He grabbed Shuichi's arms and lifted him as high as he could, hoping that that would break his hold.

While Yuki struggled against Shuichi's death grip on his waist, the guards put Tohma's hands in irons and started to march him out of the room. As Tohma passed by the wriggling street rat, his eyes landed on something that renewed his hope for life; the lamp was attached to Yuki's belt. Soon as Yuki lowered his arms, the lamp was again hidden from sight.

"MIKA!" Tohma yelled, forgetting all senses of decency and using the Sultana's first name in his panic to tell her about the lamp. "MIKA!"

"I don't want to hear it." Mika snapped, closing her eyes and sighing as one of the guards walloped Tohma for his misnomer. "Get him out of here. Now."

"MIKA!" Tohma shrieked again, trying now to think of something that would shock Mika into listening to him without alerting the street rat that he knew about the lamp. "Darling! Please, don't do this!"

The entire room went dead still. Yuki halted his Shuichi-removal, K almost dropped the gun he was polishing, the guards loosened their grip on Tohma, and Mika looked like she was either going to cry or strangle Tohma. Shuichi, enjoying the reprieve, hugged Yuki again. It took him a few seconds, but then Tohma's words reached him too; he gasped and immediately released Yuki, clapping both hands over his mouth and widening his eyes to the popping point.

"Please?" Tohma said quietly, internally regretting his decision. He thought things couldn't get any worse, but then he remembered that Caspian wasn't there to embarrass him more than he himself already had.

"Dungeons. NOW." Mika said after quite a few minutes of tense silence. Tohma had tried to speak several more times, but looks from Mika had kept his mouth shut.

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Tohma yelled, deciding that he didn't care about alerting the street rat more than he cared about his own head. "HE HAS THE-"

"Shut him up." Mika ordered. One of the guards slapped Tohma, making him whimper. "Lock him in the high-security area, and keep your eyes peeled for that parrot."

The guards nodded and dragged Tohma, who was now screaming absurdities and attempting to bite his captors, out of the room. The doors slammed behind them, quieting Tohma's now-hysterical shrieks.

"I'm so sorry about him." Mika said, trying her best for a sincere tone. "I'm not sure what got into him…"

"Right, I'm sure you had no-" Yuki started, before K elbowed him in the ribs and took over.

"It's fine, milady. No real harm done. I was able to extricate…his Majesty from the bird's clutches." K answered the Sultana with a smile, pausing before Yuki's title to remind him to play his part.

"That's good, I'm glad he has such capable retainers." Mika replied, relieved that the Prince's retainer was so amiable. Prince Eiri looked like he wanted to punch something.

"I'm not sticking around for your meaningless banter." Yuki whispered to K before he turned on his heel and left the throne room. Shuichi stayed where he was for a few seconds before bounding after Yuki's retreating form.

"He's tired, had a long morning, after all." K said with a smile, trying to smooth over Yuki's behavior. They were going to have to have a long talk when he caught up with him.

"Of course, it's understandable. If you need anything, my servants will be glad to help you." Mika said, walking back to her throne room to resume her normal duties. "Please relay my apologies to your master again, I'm mortified by my vizier's actions."

K nodded, bowed to Mika, and left the throne room.

"Dammit." Mika muttered when the doors had closed behind K. "I can't believe him."

She and Tohma had been together for years, even before her husband, Shuichi's father, had died. She had always assumed that she'd marry Tohma once Shuichi was out of the way, but these days she wasn't so sure. He was consistently letting her down and for him and Caspian to try to kill Shuichi's last chance…she wasn't sure if she could move past it. Tohma most likely had some crazy reason or some unlikely excuse, but those wouldn't be enough this time. He had tried to kill their last chance. If Eiri didn't work out, Mika didn't know what she was going to do. If Tohma had succeeded in getting the lamp, the problem would have been easily solved. But seeing as he had dropped it in some god-forsaken place, she was stuck.

She sighed and got off of her throne again. She started to pace around the vast room, thinking of the arrest. Tohma knew better than to use her first name in public; he had never broken that rule before. It was bad enough that he had done that, but then to call her 'darling'…she couldn't understand why he had done that.

Thinking about the situation made her angrier by the second. She had never felt more disrespected. Everyone had stared at her like she was some kind of leper, to be associated with Tohma in such a way. Even though she _was_ associated the feather-clad fool, it had never been revealed in public. She sat back down, trying to calm down, but she couldn't. Her hands were shaking and all she could think about were different ways of torturing and killing her ex-most-trusted advisor. He couldn't continue to be her vizier after attempting to assassinate visiting royalty. She jumped up from her seat and headed for the dungeons, intent on, at the very least, giving Tohma the filleting of a lifetime.

In her huff, it took her no time at all to reach the dungeons. She shoved the first guard out of the way, and pushed the next two down the stone stair case that led to where Tohma was being held. Deciding that it was in their best interest to flee, the guards that could still walk grabbed their fallen comrades and ran for it.

"Tohma." Mika said, having arrived at Tohma's cell. She crossed her arms and peered into the gloom, trying to spot her flamboyant accomplice.

"Mika?" Tohma replied weakly. Without the heat of the borrowed banana suit, Tohma was freezing.

"Just shut it." Mika ordered, in no mood for anymore of Tohma's blathering. "Sit down and listen to what I have to say. Interrupt and you'll leave this cell in pieces."

Tohma gulped and nodded. He was dying to tell Mika about the lamp, but he could've sworn that he saw smoke coming off of the top of her head and he didn't want to feed the flames more than he already had. He fought his natural instinct to yell 'FIRE!' and stayed quiet, intently staring at her head to make sure he didn't see any more signs of an inferno.

"How dare you use my first name in front of other people, Tohma, how stupid do you have to be?!" Mika spat at Tohma, her voice rising with each word until she was screeching.

Tohma thought about telling her about the lamp, but then decided it was better for his livelihood if he kept his trap shut.

"What are you, stupid? You exposed us! Now they all know!" Mika shrieked, spit flying and eyes popping. "YOU MORON!"

Thoughts about the lamp again crossed Tohma's mind, but at this point he was starting to get angry. He'd just let Mika work herself up and tire herself out before he gifted her the information that would send her over the moon.

"How can you be so careless? How many times do I have to tell you, if you're going to kill someone, don't let the bird help!" Mika said, now waving her arms and stomping around the dungeon.

Tohma twiddled his thumbs and stared at the ceiling. Mika had yelled at him before, and this time, no matter what happened, he had a get-out-of-jail-free card; the lamp.

"And why the hell were you trying to kill the Prince anyway? He's Shuichi's last chance!" Mika screamed, not anywhere close to ramping down. "WHY?!"

"Well-" Tohma started to say, thinking that Mika wanted his input at this point.

"QUIET!" Mika roared, rattling the bars of Tohma's cells and causing the abused vizier to almost flip over backwards in shock and in his haste to get away from the ravenous Sultana. "I'm not through with you!"

Mika continued to berate Tohma for half an hour, screaming until her voice cracked. She dragged up things that had happened ten years earlier and even made up a few to keep things flowing. Tohma sat down and watched her storm around the narrow hallway, content as long as she didn't get too close to his, now-considered protective, bars. When she had finally resorted to glaring and wheezing incoherent insults, Tohma stood up and brushed himself off.

"Umm, Mika?" Tohma asked quietly, not wanting to startle her back into a rage.

"What?" Mika gasped, her voice almost completely shot from unleashing years of frustration upon Tohma.

"I have some news."

"…"

"It's about…" Tohma considered saying 'our lamp', but knew from past experience that this would only reawaken the dormant beast of Mika's anger. "Your lamp."

"…what?" Mika said quietly, completely taken aback by Tohma's statement.

"I found it." Tohma replied slowly, still trying to keep Mika's temper from flaring. Bringing up the lamp had been dangerous enough given her anger over him losing it in the first place.

"You found it?" Mika repeated, unwilling to believe that Tohma had actually done something right.

"Yes. It's not lost." Tohma answered.

"Well, where is it?" Mika said, crossing her arms and looking skeptical. She figured that this was some last-minute attempt by Tohma to keep his head.

"Someone else has it." Tohma said quietly.

"Tohma. Spit it out. Where's the lamp, who has it?" Mika said in an impatient tone. She hated it when Tohma dragged things out like this. "Stop being such a drama queen."

"Queen?" Tohma said to himself, feeling hurt. He gave Mika a pouty look but quickly returned to his explanation; she had reached for a spear that was leaning against the dungeon wall. "The street-I mean, the Prince has it. Prince Eiri."

"And I suppose that was why you were trying to kill him?" Mika asked, completely unfazed by the news.

"I..what?" Tohma stuttered, startled by Mika's reply. He gulped and tried to mentally re-group to come up with a clever answer. "Yeah."

"Yeah? Tohma, you can't try to kill visiting royalty! You'll start a war!" Mika screeched, her voice immediately cracking.

"I know…"

"Then why did you try to kill him?"

"Your lamp." Tohma replied. Mika smiled wickedly, and Tohma started to get a little scared; she didn't believe him. "He has it! I saw it!"

"Sure you did. He doesn't have the lamp, Tohma. You just don't like him."

"That's not true!" Tohma squealed, running forward and grabbing the bars.

"Yes, it is. You don't like him, tried to kill him, and now you're just trying to save your ass from the chopping block." Mika said in a dangerous whisper.

"No, Mika…it's not…I swear…" Tohma said softly, starting to get genuinely worried.

"Stop lying." Mika ordered. Tohma tried to make another rebuttal, but Mika held up her hand to silence him. "Today's your lucky day, however."

"It is?" Tohma asked, unable to stop himself.

"Yes. You've reminded me of one of your more disastrous blunders." Mika said, backing up and leaning against the wall. "You lost my lamp."

Tohma stopped breathing, waiting for Mika to deal out his sentence. He couldn't imagine how this would end well for him now that she'd mentioned one of his biggest mistakes.

"And now you're going to go find it for me."

"I am?" Tohma asked weakly. Her idea of luck was sadistic.

"Yes." Mika said, walking towards the stairs. She paused, and glanced over her shoulder. "And Tohma, if you fail me this time, I really will have you killed. Guard!"

Tohma was stunned into silence; he was going to live. He sat there numbly while the guard that Mika had summoned unlocked his cell and escorted him out of it. He walked down the narrow hallway in a daze, his brain not completely registering what had just happened. He stumbled up the dark staircase and didn't start to take in his surroundings until after the guards had shut the doors to the dungeon behind him.

He shook his head, hard, trying to clear his head. He came to just in time to see Mika's shadow disappear down the hallway that led back to the throne room.

"Mika!"

"Tohma…" Mika said quietly, stopping in her tracks. "I thought you'd learned your lesson…"

"Sorry, milady, I just wanted to thank you." Tohma said quickly, his eye twitching. He'd already screwed up and he'd only been loose for thirty seconds.

"Don't, quite yet. Remember, you still owe me my lamp." Mika said, her voice turning dangerous. She made a slice across her throat with her pointer finger and raised her eyebrows. Satisfied with Tohma's terrified expression, she smiled and continued her trek to the throne room.

Tohma gulped audibly and nodded, scooting away rather quickly. He closed his eyes and did some deep breathing. Once he had calmed down, he tried to decide on his next course of action. Mika had charged him with recovering the lamp, but she refused to believe that Prince Eiri had it. Tohma sighed and ran a hand through his mussed hair. He had no idea what to do next.

"Well, when in doubt…" Tohma whispered to himself. He sighed again, muttered something about a 'stupid parrot', and set off for his trusty broom closet.

* * *

Sorry for the late update everyone! I meant to have this done sooner, but calculus is a royal pain in the ass. No nice words for that class. None. *sticks out tongue at calculus homework* It's nasty. Also, I apologize about the weird posting day, I didn't want to wait until the end of the week to post this seeing as I just finished it ten minutes ago. In other news, I'm up at KU visiting friends and it is SO pretty up here! Not that Wichita isn't pretty right now, but dang. Leaves everywheres! Yes, everywheres. As always, enjoy.

-Amaya


	21. Chapter 18

"No." Yuki said, crossing his arms and staring at the lunatic in front of him.

"Get over here. You're going to get bird flu…" K said, advancing on the now-retreating Yuki.

"K…back up…" Yuki said, putting up his hands and backing away from the crazed genie with the antiseptic.

"But…but…maybe it's good for you, Yuki…" Shuichi chimed in quietly, not wanting to upset Yuki. He was sprawled on a couch in the trio's suite, watching the standoff between master and genie.

"Stay out of this." Yuki snapped at Shuichi, not at all excited about the prospect of Shuichi allying himself with K. He didn't think he could handle both of them.

"Yuki…" Shuichi muttered, looking dangerous. "Let him help you."

"I told you to stay out of this!"

"Hey! Manners!" K said loudly, charging Yuki and smacking him upside the head. "Be nice!"

"No!" Yuki shouted at K, massaging his temple. "And stop hitting me!"

"Apologize!" K said, pulling out his gun and aiming it at Yuki's head. "Now."

Yuki glared at K and shook his head side to side very slowly. Shuichi looked nervously from K to Yuki and back again, concerned for everyone's safety. K cocked his gun and pushed it against Yuki's head. Shuichi gulped and stood up, ready to bolt if necessary.

"Go ahead. Shoot. Then you'll never get wished free." Yuki said under his breath, his eyes locked onto K's. "Pull the trigger, genie."

"Was that a wish I heard?" K said, smiling a bit and backing Yuki into the wall. "Ok."

"NO!" Shuichi screamed, throwing himself between Yuki and K. He put a hand on each man's chest and tried to push K away from Yuki. When this effort failed, he put both hands on K and pushed with all of his might.

K raised his eyebrows and looked down, trying to figure out what Shuichi was trying to do. He glanced up at Yuki with a quizzical expression. Yuki shrugged in return and started trying to pry Shuichi away from K.

"No, Yuki, let go!" Shuichi squealed. Yuki hoisted him off of the ground and held him there for a while. Shuichi flailed around, trying to regain his footing, but eventually went still and took to glaring at K and Yuki. "You two play nice."

"Yeah…right." Yuki said, putting Shuichi down and patting him on the head. He gave him a shove towards the couch and went back to staring down K. "I'm fine, I don't need your help."

"I'm done with this argument. Get your ass over here." K said, looking frustrated. "I'm serious, your ear is still bleeding and you're covered in scratches and dried blood."

"K, for the last time, I don't need your help!" Yuki yelled, throwing a pillow at K and attempting to storm off to his room. Instead, K let out a war cry and tackled him. Yuki flipped over and slapped K, trying to push him off. In response, K starting pulling Yuki's hair and flicking his ears.

"Guys…" Shuichi said, peering over the edge of the couch at the fight. "Guys."

The brawlers ignored Shuichi and continued to roll around on the ground, trying to inflict as much pain as possible to the other.

"HEY!" Shuichi screamed. The windows in the suite rattled ominously and K and Yuki stopped fighting long enough to stare at Shuichi.

"Ummm…" Yuki said, coming to his senses and realizing that K was sitting on him and had his arms pinned down. "Get. Off."

"Hmm?" K responded, returning his attention to Yuki. "Oh, right, yeah. Wait a minute..."

K's eyes took on a devious glint and he smiled at Yuki.

"K…" Yuki said slowly, starting to get worried. He renewed his effort to stand-up, but K continued to hold him down.

"Could you please bring me the antiseptic?" K directed at Shuichi, still smiling devilishly. Yuki muttered a few curses under his breath and started trying to head butt K.

"Okay!"Shuichi chirped, happy to be of assistance and completely oblivious to the look he was earning from Yuki. He ran over to where K had dropped his medical kit and skipped back over to him. "Here you go!"

"Dammit…" Yuki muttered, wriggling around in a vain attempt to get loose. "GET OFF!"

"You keep yelling and I'll shoot you." K said, releasing Yuki's arms but remaining seated on his chest. He opened the kit and swabbed a little rag with the antiseptic. "Hold still, I don't want to get this in your eyes."

"K…don't…I'm fine…" Yuki whispered, not wanting to look too panicked in front of Shuichi but terrified of the idea of K playing doctor. "It's not that bad, really…"

K clicked his tongue and shook his head, clearly disbelieving. He sighed, and pressed the rag to Yuki's bloodied ear. Yuki let out a bloodcurdling scream and started hitting K as hard as he could in the stomach and chest. K groaned a bit but stayed where he was, determined to prevent Yuki from dying due to bird bacteria. K swabbed Yuki's ear again, making sure to get all the blood cleaned off and the entire wound disinfected.

"See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" K asked, his tone light. "It's for the best, I don't even want to think about what's been in that bird's beak."

Yuki hissed a bit at K, the pain in his ear rendering him incapable of speech.

"I'll take that as a 'thanks'. Alright, let's get the rest of them taken care of. Shu-er, I mean, Prince…uh…" K stuttered, suddenly unsure of what to call Shuichi. He felt the need to be formal even without Mika present.

"You don't have to call me those things, K-san!" Shuichi said brightly.

"Good." K said, sounding relieved. "I need you to grab the other rag here and help me. That bird really did a number on him."

Yuki sighed slowly and looked off into space. He stayed quiet, unwilling to cause anymore of a scene with Shuichi this close to him. K and Shuichi made quick time in treating all of the wounds, and as such K released Yuki and took to giving Shuichi a tour of the suite. Once Yuki had gotten over the indignity of being beaten up by a parrot and subsequently having been tackled and treated by a pair of maniacs, he got up and slunk over to one of the windows. In the courtyard below, Cinda had returned to ripping up trees.

Yuki flopped onto the nearest couch and considered the merits of taking a nap. He was still exhausted from last night, let alone the bird encounter. As he was closing his eyes, the door to the suite flew open and Ryuichi came prancing in, swinging Kuma wildly as he did so.

"Na no da! I made a new friend, Yuki!" Ryuichi squealed, bounding over to Yuki's couch and jumping up and down on the spot. "'member Tatsuha?"

"What?" Yuki asked, immediately alarmed. Tatsuha could spoil everything.

"He's my friend now!" Ryuichi said, positively beaming. "We played tea party, and he was real nice to Kuma, and, and…"

"Ryuichi." Yuki said, reaching up and grabbing the older man's shoulders in order to keep him from his continual bouncing. "He knows who we are! You didn't tell him anything, did you?"

"Nope! He just wanted to talk about Kuma anyway." Ryuichi said, sensing the seriousness in Yuki's voice but feeling too hyper to pay much attention to it.

"Alright. You can't tell him that I'm Yuki. That's your mission, you have to keep the secret!" Yuki said, this time grabbing Ryuichi's face to ensure that he listened. "He already knows you and Kuma, but he can't know that I'm really a street rat, OK?"

"OK!" Ryuichi quipped. Yuki let go of him and he resumed his bouncing. "Gots to keep a secret, Kuma…"

Ryuichi hopped around the room, singing to himself and Kuma, and Yuki laid back down on the couch, thankful just this once for Kuma. Without the rabbit, Ryuichi might have ruined everything. He'd been asleep for five minutes when he was jolted awake by one of his suitemates.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty." K said, pushing his gun against Yuki's temple. "Brrring!"

"K…not now."

"Yes, now, we need to talk. I have a bone to pick with you and Ryuichi." K returned, wanting to discuss the fact that Yuki and Ryuichi had neglected to tell him they were wanted criminals from the slums. "Ryuichi, come here please."

K glanced around for Ryuichi, and was shocked to see him standing utterly still with Kuma on the floor beside his feet.

"Ryuichi?"

"He looks like me…" Ryuichi whispered in an awed voice to no one in particular.

He was standing about three feet in front of Shuichi and the two were staring at each other intently. They started to circle one another, studying the slight differences and abundant similarities.

"You've met him before, dumbass." Yuki barked from the couch, aiming his remark at either of the two.

Shuichi and Ryuichi ignored Yuki entirely; they were both too busy being engrossed in their apparent twin.

"Ryuichi?" K asked again, this time clearing his throat for some added emphasis.

"Just let them work it out." Yuki interjected from the couch. He raised himself up momentarily to check on the dynamic duo and then returned to his napping.

K shook his head and leaned against the nearest wall, content to listen to Yuki just this once.

"Wait…you're the guy from the throne room! The one that led the parade!" Shuichi exclaimed suddenly. The previous night had partially erased his memory, and he had forgotten all about his prior feud with Ryuichi.

"Yeah! Kuma remembers you! From the streets! And when we lost Yuki!" Ryuichi squealed, picking up Kuma and resuming his on-the-spot dancing. His momentary excitement, however, was quickly replaced with terror at remembering that Shuichi had tried to kill him the day before. At this thought, Ryuichi started backing up and clutching Kuma to his chest with a terrified look on his face.

Shuichi cocked his head to the side and stared at Ryuichi. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. Ryuichi continued to back up and eventually bumped into the couch that Yuki was draped across. In response to the bump, Yuki opened one eye and took in his surroundings.

"You OK?" Shuichi asked timidly, not wanting to startle Ryuichi. He took a few steps toward the thief.

"YUKI!" Ryuichi screamed. "HE'S GOING TO EAT ME!"

Ryuichi jumped over the back of the couch and landed right in the middle of Yuki. Yuki tried to shove him off, but Ryuichi wrapped his arms around Yuki's neck and burrowed in for dear life.

"Ummm…?" Shuichi said quietly, slightly concerned about Ryuichi.

"He thinks you're going to kill him." Yuki said matter-of-factly. He stroked Ryuichi's head, whispered a few encouraging words, and, when Ryuichi loosened his grip, promptly dumped him onto the floor. He stood up and moved to a different couch. "Just tell him it's alright and he'll calm down."

K looked askance at Yuki's handling of Ryuichi, but recovered in time to see what the latter would do next.

"I'm not going to eat you…" Shuichi said in a soothing voice. "And I know you're not a jerk, so I don't want to kill you anymore."

"No murderizing?" Ryuichi asked, hoisting Kuma over the edge of the couch and talking through him.

"No…" Shuichi said, feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being the mature one in any situation.

"Okaaaay!" Ryuichi said, catapulting over the couch and throwing himself at Shuichi. Shuichi shrieked and tried to jump out of the way, but Ryuichi was too quick for him. After he got over the shock of being assaulted by a bunny-wielding blur, he returned the hug in earnest. "Friends?"

"Friends!" Shuichi said, a huge smile in place.

"Oh dear god…" Yuki muttered, covering his face with his hands and sighing. He'd had a hard enough time dealing with just one Ryuichi over the years, but now it appeared that he had two.

"Yeah, this could be bad." K said from the sidelines. "And what the hell was that thing with Ryuichi?"

"Nothing." Yuki snapped, feeling defensive.

"It was definitely something." K responded, looking very pleased with himself. In the center of the room, Ryuichi and Shuichi were sitting cross-legged and whispering to one another. Every once in a while, one of them would giggle and glance over at Yuki or K.

"I've been stuck with him for seven years. You have to know how to make him stop freaking out when half the city guard is tailing you." Yuki replied, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and stretching. Now that Shuichi and Ryuichi were acting like a pair of pre-teen girls, he had abandoned all hope of squeezing in a couch nap.

"Mmm hmm." K returned, smirking at Yuki. "So you've been stuck with Ryuichi since you were sixteen?"

Yuki considered throwing another pillow at K, but decided not to rise to K's taunts this time. He did some deep breathing, closed his eyes, and nodded in response to K's question.

"Alright, alright, I'll let this one slide. But I still need to talk to you and Ryuichi." K said, deciding to let Yuki get away with this one. He was sweet so rarely, and K didn't want to tease it out of him.

"Hah. Good luck with that one." Yuki said, gesturing with his head toward Shuichi and Ryuichi, who were now rolling around on the ground and shrieking with laughter.

"Did you just…laugh?" K asked Yuki, starting to feel like he was in the twilight zone.

"No. You're mistaken." Yuki said quickly. "I'm going to go take a nap, you might want to keep an eye on those two."

With that, Yuki walked over to his room and locked himself in. He put pillows around the bottom edge in an attempt to block out the peals of school-girlish laughter issuing from the maniacs in the main room. Soon as his head hit the pillow, he was dead to the world, completely oblivious to everything that Ryuichi was saying about him on the other side of the door.

* * *

I had originally intended this to be the first half of a HUGE chapter, the up and coming Caspian/Tohma reunion got way too out of hand. So, sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual. I think it's all for the best, though, it's no fun trying to contain my Caspian inspirations, especially when he's sitting three feet away and giving me tons of new ideas. Everything that he does in this story is, unfortunately for me, his roommate, based on something he's done in real life. Well, maybe not the conveyor belt…not as far as I know anyway…he's such a special little terror.

He's not that bad, truthfully. He has his moments. Like when he tries to follow me into the shower or when I wake up from a nap and he's somehow maneuvered himself between my neck and the pillow. Or when he's trying to sneak-attack the cat, my feet, or the gigantic greyhound. Anywho, hope you enjoyed the update, expect much zany Tohma/Po action in the next chapter, which by the way is almost completed. Should have it up next weekend.

Peace out,

Amaya


	22. Chapter 19

"Caspian?" Tohma called softly as he opened the door to the broom closet. "Are you in here, bird?"

Tohma's questions went unanswered. He stepped into the office gingerly and looked around; the place was trashed. The street rat hadn't been lying. The floor was coated in blood and feathers and all of his furniture was overturned. His papers were everywhere, and some mementos from Caspian's stint in charge were taking up almost the entire the office space.

"Caspian." Tohma said, not nearly so concerned about his feathered friend. He hated having a messy office. "Caspian Toulouse Eustace!"

Tohma's words were again met with silence. Tohma started to feel panicky; Caspian had never gone so long without talking, especially after the use of his second middle name. Tohma ventured forward into the office, picking his way through the rubble. Halfway to Caspian's cage, he tripped over an oval object and did a prompt face plant into the debris.

"Oww…" Tohma groaned, rolling over on the filthy floor and trying to figure out what his feet were still tangled up in. He sat up and peered through the gloom. "Oh no…"

His feet were wrapped up in the wreckage of a small golden cage. Caspian was lying on the inside, completely immobile.

"Po? Caspian?" Tohma questioned frantically. He jumped up and grabbed the cage, hoping against hope that the bird would open his eyes and say something derogative. He opened the door and scooped out Caspian. The bird remained limp in his hand and Tohma felt his eyes start to fill with tears. "Caspo?"

Tohma stood there, holding Caspian's still form, trying to convince himself that everything would be okay. He stroked Caspian's chest feathers and started to remember all of the good times he'd had with his green accomplice. He raised Caspian to his face and started crying harder, the realization that Caspian would never again insult him sinking in.

He buried his face into Caspian's soft feathers and started bawling.

"Oi, you're getting me wet!" Caspian screeched, sinking his beak into Tohma's nose and flying off to his partially-destroyed cage. "Man, I got you good…"

Tohma was stunned; he stared from his hands to Caspian and back again several times, his mouth hanging open in shock. He'd been convinced that he'd lost the feathered pain-in-the-ass forever, but there he was, cackling on his cage.

"You should've seen the look on your face!" Caspian said, still laughing. "I can't believe you fell for it!"

"You…you…" Tohma stammered, trying to decide between anger and relief. "I…"

"Huh? What was that? Conure got your tongue?" Caspian quipped, not even trying to conceal his glee.

"Caspian." Tohma hissed, his eyes glinting dangerously. "I'm going to have to kill you now."

With his emotion decided on, Tohma charged Caspian. The bird did the same and flew straight for Tohma's face. Tohma tried to block, but he wasn't fast enough. Caspian started flapping harder, slapping Tohma repeatedly with his wings. Tohma took a misguided swing at Caspian and missed, giving the bird the perfect opportunity to claim a chunk of Tohma's thumb for himself.

The fight continued in this manner for several minutes, and eventually devolved into a slap fight between master and parrot. When their screaming subsided and neither could muster the energy for another blow, they resorted to glaring at each other and muttering comments under their breath.

A knock on the door stopped the muttering on both ends and Tohma rose to answer it. Before he could reach the door, it burst open and several armed guards poured in.

"We're here to…uh…" the lead guard stammered, unsure of what to do now. He was used to dealing with a congenial and well-groomed Tohma. The man standing in front of him looked like he exhibited neither trait. Not the mention the scruffy bird that was inching towards the vizier's foot with his beak open.

"What the hell do you people want?" Tohma asked, starting to feel pretty pissy. Ever since he'd found the damned lamp, his life had been consistently spiraling downward. "Well?"

"We're here for the parrot, sir." One of the guards said, raising his hand and stepping out from behind the leader.

"Oh really?" Caspian questioned from the floor, halting his impending attack on Tohma's foot. "You want some of this?"

"Caspian, be nice." Tohma said automatically, used to the necessity of corralling Caspian.

"Make me…" Caspian muttered back, considering the possibility of renewing his attack on Tohma's southern appendages.

Tohma glared down at Caspian and the bird returned the look. The guards stayed quiet for the time being, scared of what would happen if they disturbed the silent power struggle that was happening in front of them.

"Wow, this place looks terrible." One of the guards whispered to another after the stare down had been going on for almost five minutes. Tohma's eye was twitching and Caspian had ruffled himself up to full volume. The guards both laughed quietly and made a few more jokes about the state of Tohma's beloved office.

"What was that?" Tohma asked quietly, raising his head slowly and staring at the talkative guards.

"Just commenting on your…lovely office." The guard answered, completely unaware of the danger.

"Really now?" Tohma said, edging forward. Caspian followed suit, happy to redirect his attention to the intruding guards.

"Umm…" the guard responded, suddenly very aware of the fact that all of the other guards had positioned themselves behind him.

Tohma continued to advance, looking a little unhinged.

"We'll just come back later…" the lead guard said, kicking open the door and pulling the perpetrator out of the room.

"Caspian, why don't you show our guests out?" Tohma said with a smile, still looking insane.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Caspian answered, jumping up and flying after the retreating guards. Their screams echoed around the entrance hall as Tohma shut the door to the office and turned around to face the filth.

Tohma sighed and ran a hand through his frizzed hair. He tried to think of a solution, but nothing came to mind immediately. Instead, he stumbled across his workspace and tried to find his mop and broom. When he reached their usual space, however, all he found were their charred remains. Caspian's rampage had destroyed everything in the office.

"Damn it…" Tohma muttered, adverse to the idea of wandering the palace in search of a mop when he lived in the supposed broom closet. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve some stress. "I hate cleaning…"

"What's up home biscuit?" Caspian called, sailing back into the office and alighting on his partially-destroyed cage.

"I'm trying to clean this place up after your bit of fun." Tohma said. He shook out his sleeves and mumbled a few random words, trying to get into the spirit of things.

"Here we go again…" Caspian murmured, climbing into his cage and shutting the door behind him. He was tired of office-based explosions.

"Ahh…HA!" Tohma said, clapping his hands and hopping forward. "Wait…"

The office remained soiled and Caspian had to exercise more self-control than he knew he had to keep from laughing at Tohma. Caspian wanted to stay on Tohma's good side momentarily, just in case he actually figured out how to use his magical powers.

"Come on…" Tohma said, feeling frustrated. He could see Caspian trying to hold back the torrent of insults that he wanted to unleash. Tohma hopped around some more, scrunched up his face, and muttered something about a pastrami sandwich. "ZANG!"

"Why don't you try sleeping?" Caspian asked. "I'm still convinced that's how you jinxed the broom closet in the first place."

"Caspian." Tohma warned, a distinct edge to his voice. Caspian clanged a few bells in response, but overall he remained quiet. "I'm missing something…"

Caspian fought his natural instinct to reply with 'brains'. Instead, he started preening, trying to distract himself from Tohma's idiocy.

Tohma thought for a minute or two, and then the lights finally turned on in his head. He snapped his fingers and dashed over to a charred corner where his boa was hidden underneath the ashes of his desk. He picked it up and put it on carefully, not wanting to dislodge any extra feathers; it barely had any to spare.

"That should do it…" Tohma said, closing his eyes and mumbling again. Caspian thought he heard something about milking goats, but he wasn't sure and didn't want to be. Tohma cleared his throat and shook out his sleeves. Before he could do anything else, there was loud 'pop' and several Caspian screams.

Tohma's eyes snapped open and when he saw the office, he started yelling too; everything was back to normal. He tried to back up and instead tripped over a throw rug, landing with a thud. He did some deep breathing to try and calm himself down, but he was still too freaked out about his apparent success.

"Scare yourself, oh master wizard?" Caspian asked from his cage, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Shut it." Tohma snapped, unwilling to let Caspian ruin his victory.

"You were dropped too much as a small child, weren't you?"

"Bird…"

"Good, Tohma, good! Yes, I'm a bird. And what are you?" Caspian said, coming out of his refurbished cage and dancing around on top of it.

Tohma glared at Caspian, very aware that his responses only fueled the fires of ridicule. Caspian eventually got bored with waiting on a reply and started to investigate his new toys, giving Tohma a chance to reflect on his impressive bit of magic.

"It was only a matter of time…" Tohma said, standing up. He brushed himself off and felt rather pleased. "I always knew I was a genius."

"Yeah, you're somethin' alright." Caspian shot from his cage, immediately abandoning his toy inspection.

"Caspian!"

"Tohma!"

Out in the hall, K could barely contain himself. He'd come down after Ryuichi and Shuichi had tried to play dress-up with him. He hoped that they had enough sense to let Yuki sleep; he didn't want to have to clean up the bloodshed. He had originally snuck down to see what Caspian was up to as he had had no idea that Tohma had escaped or been loosed upon the world. Sensing an opportunity to have some fun, he had waited for one of Tohma's misguided attempts to mask his genie interference. He had to put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing; Tohma was parading around the office, infatuated with his apparent success.

"What a piece of work…" K muttered. He was going to stick around and see what havoc he could wreak, but some loud bangs from elsewhere in the palace caught his attention. He had a nagging suspicion that the twins were responsible. He sighed, and walked up the stairs, a little afraid of what he would find.

"Sir, please stop that." Caspian said, starting to get annoyed with Tohma. He could only handle so many victory dances.

"At least I can deliver." Tohma replied, still doing a little jig. He had no idea how he'd cleaned up the office, and probably couldn't do it again if his life depended on it, but he still felt that he was entitled to his glee. He cleared his throat and ceased his celebratory dancing.

"Whatever…" Caspian muttered, fluffing up and shifting uncomfortably. He wasn't used to handling failure.

"Watch the attitude." Tohma ordered, sitting down behind his desk and steepling his hands underneath his chin. "This whole thing was your idea."

"You're the one that left a parrot in charge." Caspian replied, feeling extraordinarily defensive.

"Speaking of that, how the hell did you screw it up? You said you had everything under control." Tohma asked Caspian, looking pensive and ignoring Caspian's attempted insult. He'd been wondering about Caspian's magnificent mess-up ever since the false prince had interrupted his moment of glory.

"His assistant saved him." Caspian responded with more than a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"How?" Tohma asked, his interest piqued. Caspian had made his fair share of disasters in the past, but nothing like what had happened to his office. He seriously doubted that the combined efforts of a human and a conure had caused the destruction.

"I'm not sure…" Caspian replied. He tried to recall the fight, but everything was hazy. "He snapped his fingers a lot, I'm not sure how he did it."

Tohma stayed silent for a while, thinking over Caspian's response. In the meantime, Caspian scratched himself and moseyed over to the desk, trying to find something important to roll in.

"I wonder…" Tohma mused, jumping up and running over to his bookshelves. Caspian let out a piggish squeal, having located the thick, red paste that Tohma used to seal letters and documents. He hopped in feet first and started rolling around, extremely pleased with himself. Tohma returned shortly with a very old book from his genie research. Caspian submerged himself up to his beak in the ink and stayed quiet, hoping that Tohma wouldn't ruin his fun.

Tohma flipped through the volume, hoping to prove himself right. If he was, it made things a lot easier. A few furious flips later and he had his answer.

"Eureka!" Tohma shouted, standing up quickly and nearly flipping his desk. The ink jar and the concealed Caspian went flying through the air, along with a few other desktop items. "That retainer, K, he's the genie!"

"What?" Caspian asked from the floor. He tried to crawl out of the jar, but he had gotten wedged in during flight.

"This is the book that describes the genie, it has accounts of his magic, tells about his history, etcetera. It says here that he snaps his fingers to call upon his powers, just like you said!" Tohma replied, spinning around in his chair and cackling.

"I thought I heard him whisper something about a wish." Caspian said, grabbing the carpet with his beak and pulling himself out of the jar with a quiet popping noise. He ran across the floor and climbed up Tohma's desk, eager to wreak some havoc with his ink-covered self.

"That's why he did all the talking when they met Mika, he didn't want that rat to undo his magic. He probably wished to be a Prince!" Tohma exclaimed, all of the pieces falling into place.

"And how does this help us?" Caspian queried, trying to sneak into Tohma's desk drawers.

"How does it not? Now we know not to try anything when the genie's around." Tohma said, too happy to care about what Caspian was up to.

"He wasn't around the first time, he wandered in." Caspian replied quietly, attempting to rain on Tohma's parade. When Tohma ignored him, he raised his voice and started to get serious. "So what do we do now? What happened at the conference?"

"Well…" Tohma started, trying to find a way to explain away the disastrous meeting without embarrassing himself. When an explanation failed to pop into his head, he settled on a summary. "Mika knows that we tried to kill him."

"Obviously." Caspian spat, thinking back to the guards that he'd chased out. He finally succeeded in opening a drawer discreetly and jumped in with a squawk of joy.

"She had me arrested to keep face in front of the rat, but then she released me." Tohma said, listing out the events as he remembered them.

"Thanks for the update captain obvious."

"I tried to tell her that the Prince, Eiri not Shuichi, had the lamp, but she wouldn't believe me." Tohma continued, content to ignore the parrot. "Anyway, she charged me with finding the lamp, or it's my head."

"That doesn't sound too hard. At least we know where it is now." Caspian replied, hopping out of the drawer and ruffling up. It was going to take a whole slew of baths to get all the ink off. He'd lost quite a bit of it rolling around in Tohma's official stationary, but he was still pretty coated.

"Yeah, except he has the genie and Mika doesn't want us anywhere near him. Not to mention she apparently hasn't pardoned you, given the guards that broke down my door."

"She'll cool off, especially when we hand her the lamp." Caspian said, flailing around on the carpet in an attempt to remove some more of the ink.

"What the hell are you doing down there?" Tohma asked, finally feeling concerned about the bird's actions. "Why are you all red?"

"No reason."

"I should have bought a gerbil…" Tohma muttered.

"We need to kill the street rat, and keep the genie distracted while we do it." Caspian interjected from the floor. "Stay focused Tohma."

"We already tried that!"

"But this time we don't need to worry about incriminating ourselves!" Caspian responded testily, wishing Tohma could keep up with his superior thought process. "Now that we know about his lampy little secret, we just kill him and give her the lamp before she has time to get upset."

"That could work…" Tohma said to himself, stroking his chin and giving the wheels in his platinum head time to turn. He pulled open one of his drawers to get some scratch paper and instead found Caspian's ink mess. "Dammit bird, how many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my desk!"

"Apparently a few more."

"That's it, I'm trading you in for a hamster."

"Oooh! I want a hamster wheel for my birthday!" Caspian said loudly, flying over to his cage and practically bursting with excitement.

"No."

"But..."

"No." Tohma said, raising his voice and slamming his hands down on his desk. "Now who needs to focus?"

Caspian immediately stopped twittering and twitching about the wheel and instead walked over to his bathtub, deciding that it was adequate punishment for the blond upstart to be forced to plan intricate murders without his invaluable assistance. He jumped in and started preening, determined to be green again.

"Fine, I'll just have all the fun. Hmm, fire pits or impalement? Well, it's all up to me…I get to plan it all…" Tohma called across the room, trying to draw Caspian back out of the cage with talk of impaling.

"HEY!" Caspian screeched, fluttering out of the bathtub at breakneck speed. He did a crash landing onto Tohma's desk, soaking all of Tohma's possessions in the process. "I'm in."

"Alright, how should we do this?" Tohma posed, struggling to find some untainted papers in his desk. He pulled out a piece that only had a few red footprints and started sketching out some ideas on his lap, as his desk was covered in the bird's bath water.

"I say we set some clever traps, ambushes, that sort of thing." Caspian responded, ruffling up and splattering Tohma with water.

"That seems a bit…outside of our capabilities." Tohma answered, thinking of the disastrous outcomes that could occur and trying to dry himself and his desk off.

"Nothing major, but at least we'll be able to catch him off guard. He doesn't always have that genie with him."

"True…we could nab him around Shuichi's room, I highly doubt the genie follows him there." Tohma said, scribbling furiously to make sure he got everything written down in case he and Caspian forgot their master plan.

"Good idea." Caspian replied. "Let's get everything we need ready and start on him tomorrow morning."

"Alright…" Tohma said, stroking his feather boa and looking capable of almost anything. He leaned back in his desk chair and smiled at Caspian, hoping for a chance to redeem himself in everyone's eyes. He was getting tired of playing the fool that he wasn't.

* * *

Well…this was supposed to the first half a new chapter…so much for that plan. I was unwilling to curtail my muse for Caspian and Tohma's reunion, so I didn't. I'm kind of starting to scare myself though…I already have the next chapter written, and I have almost every chapter from here to the end planned out entirely. I feel pretty darn organized…as long as Caspian doesn't attack the whiteboards again, I think I'm set. I caught him taking a wild bath right next to them a few months ago…let's just say we didn't talk for a few days after that fight…

As always, thanks for all the reviews, they really brighten my day. I appreciate them lots.

-Amaya


	23. Chapter 20 Part A

K ran up the stairs, convinced that he was going to have a disaster on his hands. He tried hard to listen for any more noise, but the palace had gone eerily silent. He couldn't hear any more bangs, and not even a giggle echoed down the empty hallway. K started to feel unnerved, and jogged down the hall towards the door to the suite. Even if the dastardly duo weren't inside, he could at least enlist Yuki's assistance.

"Yuki?" K called, stepping into the suite and taking a quick glance around the room. When his eyes reached Yuki's door, however, he groaned and walked over; the door was hanging off of its hinges. K guessed that this was the origin of the bangs he'd heard earlier. He progressed slowly across the room, unsure of what he was going to find inside Yuki's bedroom and more than afraid of the possibilities.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Yuki roared, still out of K's line of sight. K picked up his pace and jogged to the destroyed door frame.

"But you're not pretty yet!" Ryuichi said, a clear-cut whine in his voice. "Your hair's not done!"

"Oh no…" K muttered, worried for everyone's safety. Since he'd met Yuki, the hair seemed to be one of his bigger buttons, and he was surprised that Ryuichi was feeling daring enough to push it.

K took a deep breath and stepped into the room. He tried his best to reign in his laughter, but couldn't. Yuki was spread-eagled on his back with his jaw clenched and eyes closed. Half of his hair was curled within an inch of its life, his eyes had a bright, electric blue paint smeared around them, and his cheeks were clumsily smudged with pink. He was clearly exercising some serious amounts of self-control, and K could see why. Shuichi was straddling his chest, leaning forward, and holding his wrists down to the carpet. Meanwhile, Ryuichi was prancing around the room with a large quantity of what appeared to be make-up. Whenever his leaps and twirls brought him too close to Yuki, the latter started wriggling, but he seemed to be holding back for Shuichi's sake.

"Pitiful, Yuki-san, pitiful…" K said, crossing his arms and leaning against the nearest wall. "Overcome by these two?"

"Don't start." Yuki hissed, keeping his eyes firmly closed.

"We surprised him." Shuichi said, throwing K a quick smile over his shoulder before resuming his vigil. "I'm supposed to keep him here, doesn't seem too hard."

"Not for you…" K said to himself, secretly hoping that Yuki would overhear and be incapable of doing anything about it. "Ryuichi…what's this all about?"

"We got bored after you ran away…" Ryuichi said, flopping onto Yuki's bed and starting to nibble on Kuma's ear. "So we decided to visit Yuki."

"Some visit…" Yuki murmured, trying to whip his wrists out of Shuichi's grasp and failing in his endeavor.

"He didn't look so good so we figured we needed to make him prettiful."Ryuichi finished with a dramatic nod. "Right, Shuichi?"

"Yep!" Shuichi agreed, his usual goofy grin in place. Yuki glared at him from the floor, resisting the urge to throw him off and do things that would earn him a thousand slaps from K. "We fixed part of his hair, and then we painted his eyes, and, and, and then we were about to do his lips when you came in. Oh, oh! You could help!"

"Well, I think he's pretty enough for now…" K said, sensing Yuki's temper was getting dangerously close to the breaking point.

"I suppose…" Ryuichi replied, rocking back and forth on Yuki's bed and hugging Kuma.

"Why don't you make each other pretty?" K suggested, sensing Ryuichi's sudden sadness. "Here, I'll donate to the cause."

K snapped his fingers and an entire platter of various paints, powders, and hair clips appeared.

"Now, you can only have it if you promise not to use any of it on me." K told the two trouble-makers, pointing a finger at both of them and raising his eyebrows. When Yuki made a few derisive noises K added, "And you can't use it on Yuki either."

"Ok!" Shuichi and Ryuichi said in unison, thrilled with K's suggestion.

"Get off." Yuki said quietly, directing the majority of his glaring at Shuichi. "You have five seconds."

"You don't want to stay and play?" Shuichi asked Yuki, his face clouding.

"Four seconds."

"But..!" Shuichi stammered, trying to think of a way to keep Yuki with him.

"Three…two…" Yuki continued, mentally cracking his knuckles and preparing for what he was about to do. K might hit him, but at least he'd be free. "One."

Before Yuki could do any serious damage to the petit prince, however, K grabbed Shuichi's collar and hoisted him up, out of Yuki's reach.

"Last warning. Either be nice or the jig is up." K said to Yuki, setting Shuichi down gently and pretending to dust off his shoulders.

"No need. Everyone in the room knows the truth." Yuki retorted, getting up off of the floor and stretching.

"Someone else could be watching, though." K responded, gesturing with his head to the other room. Yuki picked up on the silent cue and left, giving Shuichi a quick kiss on the head on his way out. "You two should probably relocate. Otherwise Yuki might lose his cool."

At the thought of Yuki losing his cool, Ryuichi gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth. K sighed and left, trying not to feel the least bit curious about Ryuichi's reaction. At this point, he didn't even want to know.

"What's a cool?" Shuichi asked, confused by K's words and Ryuichi's freaked out face.

"We'll tell you when you're older." Ryuichi said solemnly, nodding seriously and patting Kuma on the head.

"Alright!" Shuichi replied, content with Ryuichi's answer and feeling hyper from Yuki's farewell gesture. "Let's go to my room, Yuki won't lose anything if we go there."

"Yay!" Ryuichi squealed, grabbing Kuma and spinning around. The two divided up K's supplies and bounded out of the room, laughing and singing the entire way. The rug, who had remained incognito for its personal safety, and for the benefit of watching Yuki being tortured without getting caught, flew after the twins. It figured it was safe now that Yuki was leaving.

"Wonder where they're going…" K mused, shutting the door behind the new best friends.

"Don't." Yuki responded, glad that they were gone. He grabbed a rag from the washroom in the suite and started to clean his face, tiring of the looks that he was getting from K.

"Whatever."

"Who do you think is listening? The Sultana worships me, that damned vizier and his parrot are locked up, and the guard captain is in love with Ryuichi. I think we're pretty safe." Yuki said, finishing the make-up removal and flopping onto a comfy chair. The pampered palace life was suiting him well.

"The vizier isn't locked up, that's the thing. Neither is the parrot. They're both down in his office." K responded, sitting opposite of Yuki and looking pensive.

"What?" Yuki said in an alarmed voice.

"I'm not sure if the Sultana let him out or not…he doesn't really seem capable of escaping on his own."

"He's not, believe me. She must have arrested him to make a scene for us." Yuki replied, crossing his arms and leaning back. "How do you know all of this?"

"I left after you went to sleep. Ryuichi tried to make me put on a dress and Shuichi was eyeing my ponytail in a way that I definitely did not approve of." K answered, shaking out his long hair and snorting. "When I got there, Tohma was trying to fix the office. It was hilarious…"

"Get on with it…" Yuki said under his breath, more to himself than to K.

"Anyway, I decided to have some fun with him and I cast the proper spell when he wasn't looking. He spent the next five minutes parading around like a puffed-up peacock, but then I heard some pretty loud noises up here and came back." K explained, smiling at the memory.

"Yeah…I'm pretty sure one of them used the other as a battering ram to knock my door down." Yuki said, rubbing his temples and getting up. "We should make sure that Tohma and Caspian are still in the office and not up to anything."

"Sure. We'll bug the place too, keep some tabs on them." K said as he snapped his fingers, causing a pile of varying electronics to appear.

"Good idea." Yuki affirmed, stretching again and heading for the exit.

Yuki walked out the door closely followed by K with an armful of surveillance equipment. They met no opposition, and the palace seemed deserted. They walked in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts until they were about halfway to the office.

K had been thinking of his last trip to the office and hoping that it wouldn't go the same way. Then he remembered his conversation with Shuichi about Yuki and Ryuichi's lives on the streets. He stopped and cleared his throat loudly; he had a bone to pick with Yuki.

"Wait a minute, we still need to talk." K called down the hallway, trying to keep the anger out of his voice so he wouldn't scare Yuki off. "You and Ryuichi lied to me."

"About what?" Yuki asked, slowing down and glancing over his shoulder at K.

"About your past. You two didn't tell me that you were thieves!" K retorted, his indignant feelings returning.

"You never asked about our past."

"Yes I did!"

"When?"

"When we…when…" K stumbled, very aware of the fact that he suddenly couldn't remember ever discussing this particular topic with the street rats.

"Exactly."

"Well, you should've told me!" K shot back, his voice defensive.

"You should've asked." Yuki shot back, enjoying this small victory.

"You're on the most-wanted list! That could've ruined everything! You should have told me that!" K replied, his voice rising.

"Don't ask, don't tell." Yuki replied, smiling.

"Dammit!" K yelled, throwing a few devices at Yuki with intent to wound.

"Keep your voice down, someone will hear you." Yuki ordered, dodging the ill-aimed projectiles and sauntering off down the hallway.

"I have half a mind to undo this thing myself." K retorted, picked up his equipment and catching up with Yuki.

"Do that and you'll never get wished free."

"Speaking of that, you've used two wishes…"

"Quiet, we're here." Yuki said quickly, regretting mentioning the wishes. He wasn't ready to be without K's powers. He crept across the entrance hall and approached Tohma's office very quietly, hoping that he'd be able to hear something worthwhile.

Behind him, K started to unravel his wires and place bugs around the area. When the office had been silent for ten minutes, K nodded to Yuki and the latter peeked around the doorframe. Inside the office, Tohma was draped across a chaise lounge, clearly asleep. Yuki rolled his eyes and motioned K forward.

"Wow." K said, at a loss for any other word.

"We were worried about that?" Yuki asked, starting to wonder if everything that had happened earlier that morning had been some kind of nightmare.

"That's just sad."

"Morbidly so."

"Wait…where's the parrot?" K queried, scanning the room for Caspian but coming up with nothing.

"Not sure." Yuki responded concisely. He stared around the room, very concerned about Caspian's absence. "There he is!"

Yuki pointed to Tohma snoozing on the chair. Caspian was nuzzled into the folds of Tohma's multiple layers of clothing. He was sound asleep on his back with his feet sticking up in the air at odd angles.

"There's the problem child." Yuki stated, feeling more relieved than he wanted to show.

"Good to know. Let's bug this place…" K started to sneak into the office, but something stopped him dead in his tracks; Caspian was moving. "Abort, abort!"

Yuki started back-pedaling immediately, debating on whether or not to run for it and leave K behind.

"Don't you dare!" K hissed, grabbing the back of Yuki's shirt and holding him back. "I think we're safe, he's sleep-scuttling."

Yuki raised an eyebrow, a little unsure of K's explanation. He peered over K's shoulder and was blessed with sudden understanding. Caspian was wandering around on Tohma's stomach, apparently trying to find a new spot to settle down in. Yuki bit his lip and tried not to make any noise. K couldn't help himself and snorted at Caspian's blind wandering. In response, the bird let out a shrill scream and ran straight for Tohma's neck. Yuki and K both took a quick step forward, ready to intervene if necessary. Both had privately decided that a Tohma-free Caspian was much, much worse than one watched by the crazy vizier.

Instead of ripping out his owner's jugular, Caspian dived between Tohma's neck and hair, burrowing deeply as possible. Once he was settled, he made a few quiet noises of approval and fell silent. Yuki and K looked at each, both wondering what they were up against.

"That was…" K started, unsure of what to say.

"Special." Yuki finished, backing up to the doorframe and leaning against it.

"Well, well, well, look at you finishing my sentences." K said to Yuki, winking and nudging him with an elbow. "I knew we were secretly soul mates."

"You wish…" Yuki muttered, highly offended.

"Oh, that's right…I don't look like a twelve year-old girl…I guess it wouldn't work out between us."

"You..! I..." Yuki stammered, taken aback at K's comment. "Dammit, K!"

"Let's move past your interesting taste in men for now." K replied, pleased with himself. He snapped his fingers discreetly to muffle Tohma and Caspian's hearing. The last thing they needed was for him to overheard anything important. Not to mention he was in no mood for a Caspian re-match. "We need to get this placed bugged, and besides, Shuichi and Ryuichi have been left alone for too long."

"That's probably for the best, I'm not sure if I want to know what they're up to." Yuki said, his pride a bit wounded. "And he's not a twelve year-old girl."

"How would you know?" K asked. He knew that Yuki'd spent the night in Shuichi's room, and that the Prince had sounded pretty suggestive before he lost his communication feed, but he'd expected more out of both of them. Besides, Yuki should know better. If Mika found out, she might cancel the deal.

"Trust me, I know."

"I repeat, how?"

"You really want to know?" Yuki said darkly, smiling and raising his eyebrows. "I can give you all the gory details if necessary."

"You didn't!" K gasped, his eyes widening.

"I did. Several times."

"I should've known…" K muttered.

Yuki merely smiled at K.

"You should know better." K snapped, feeling pissy. "If he tells anyone about this…"

"He won't, he had way too much fun." Yuk said, his smile widening at K's shocked expression. "You're just jealous that you're not getting any."

"I could get some if I wanted to…" K whispered. "You need to be respectful."

"I know, I know, he's the Prince, I got it." Yuki said, rolling his eyes. He sensed that the conversation was deteriorating extremely quickly, but he didn't really care. On the chaise lounge, Tohma groaned and rolled over.

"Not just that…he's your lover, isn't he? Don't talk about him like that." K said, scowling at Yuki and throwing him a few wires. "Make sure you don't electrocute yourself."

"Electrocute?" Yuki asked, unfamiliar with electricity. "He's not my lover."

"I'm not even going to try to explain electricity to you. If he's not your lover, what is he?"

"I don't know, does he need a title?" Yuki replied, hiding a few wires along the wall of Tohma's office.

"I thought he meant more to you than that." K answered, ceasing his work and staring over at Yuki. "You've been through hell to get to him."

"I know, I know…" Yuki said in an exasperated tone. He really didn't want to have this conversation with K.

"Where do you think this thing is going, anyway?" K queried, flipping a switch and dusting his hands together. Caspian made a few squeaky noises and his maroon tail disappeared further into Tohma's hair.

"It doesn't have to go anywhere." Yuki said quickly. He'd been purposely avoiding this subject in his head. He had no idea where Shuichi thought this would end up, and Mika's plan did not appeal to him in the least.

"Yes, it does. You're supposed to be his fiancé, you understand that, right? That's what the Sultana is planning, that's what Shuichi's surely expecting."

"Then they'll be disappointed."

"That's terrible."

"That's how it is. We done in here?"

"Yeah. We're done." K said, shaking his head at Yuki. He snapped his fingers to undo his jinx on Tohma and Caspian and walked out of the office. "You have to tell him."

"I don't have to do anything but die." Yuki responded, pushing his way past K and starting up the stairs. K started to say something else, but Yuki cut him off by raising his hand. "I'm done talking about this. I'll deal with the Sultana and Shuichi when the time comes. I was never planning on forever, I just wanted to see him again. If I have to, I'll wish you free and disappear. He'll be fine without me."

"You honestly think that?" K said, ignoring Yuki's shushing noises. "That Sultana hates him, you can see it in her eyes. She's been trying to push him off on any jerk that'll take him. You're going to let that happen? You're going to leave him to that fate, after he finally has a chance to be happy with you?"

"Enough!" Yuki snarled. "And he wouldn't be happy with me…"

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do." Yuki said flatly. When he sensed K's desire to reply, he silenced him. "K! Shut it."

"Fine, master." K returned sarcastically, too angry to continue the conversation. He'd started to feel attached to Shuichi, and it broke his heart that Yuki was going to leave him. He sighed, glared at Yuki, and stalked up the stairs, intent on spending as much time as he could making Shuichi happy before Yuki got tired of him.

* * *

Shuichi and Ryuichi skipped down the hallway, hand in hand, Kuma swinging wildly from Ryuichi's free hand. The rug drifted along behind them, wanting to keep an eye on the duo now that K was out of the area. It'd kept out of the dress-up conflict for its own good, completely adverse to the idea of changing its look. It'd never been happier about humans lacking the gift of flight.

"Too bad Rug Man won't come down…" Ryuichi pouted, staring wistfully at the hovering rug.

"It's so cool…" Shuichi said, gazing starry-eyed at the carpet. He'd tried to make friends in the suite, but the rug considered anyone that was that far behind enemy lines a threat. It still had a major issue with Yuki.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence. Ryuichi was busy having a rhetorical conversation with Kuma about the merits of camel jockeys and Shuichi was occupied with thinking about how to win over the rug. Ryuichi tried to lead the way, but without K's assistance, he had no hope of finding Shuichi's room. When he had led them near the dungeons, Shuichi snapped out of his reverie and took in his surroundings.

"Umm…Ryuichi?" Shuichi asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the seemingly vital camel conversation.

"Hmm?" Ryuichi responded, walking backwards and smiling at Shuichi.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Nope!" Ryuichi sang out, turning around and resuming his in-depth talk with Kuma.

Shuichi sighed and looked at Ryuichi skeptically, wondering how Yuki put up with him. He stopped walking and watched Ryuichi amble down the hallway, bumping into vases and off of walls, completely absorbed in himself and Kuma. The rug landed next to Shuichi and put an understanding tassel on his shoulder.

"We should turn around…the guard's quarters are down there…" Shuichi called down the hallway, deciding that he needed to get Ryuichi turned around before anything bad happened. He didn't want to give Mika yet another reason to yell at him.

The rug shook its upper half and patted Shuichi again. It knew when Ryuichi was too far gone. It flew after Ryuichi and tossed him in the air, catching him conveniently before he hit the ground. It returned to a startled Shuichi and stopped in front of him, waiting for him to join his cohort. Shuichi's face immediately split into a smile and he launched himself at the rug with a shriek of glee. Once he was seated, the rug took off through the palace, making a beeline for Shuichi's room.

* * *

Well, I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and an insane Black Friday. Caspian stayed pretty quiet, my dad kept eyeing him suspiciously with the carving knife and I threatened him with a gravy bath. It was a pretty special day...the bird is convinced that the Christmas tree is part of a raging conspiracy to end him; he won't go within five feet of it. Enough about Po…

This is the first part of Chapter Twenty, and I plan on posting the second part on Friday or Saturday of this week. Key word: plan. I have most of the next part done, but I don't know what classes are going to do or if my muse is going to head for warmer climates without giving me notice. I'm planning on this being my last steady update until finals are over. That might not be the case, but here's fair warning.

Enjoy, and as always, thanks for the reviews, they make me want to write. I really appreciate the feedback.

-Amaya


	24. Chapter 20 Part B

Tatsuha's head snapped up off of the table; he stumbled out of his chair and drunkenly meandered to the door to his room. He poked his groggy head out and looked up and down the hallway. He swore he'd heard the Prince scream, but he couldn't be sure. He walked out of his room and went in search of the noise. After all, the Prince was so similar to Ryuichi, and if he had the chance to merely catch of a glimpse of the thief, it would all be worth it.

"Ryuichi? Majesty?" Tatsuha called tentatively.

His voice echoed around the hall, but it was not answered. Tatsuha tried a few more times to make contact with the cause of the yell, but he had no luck.

"Damn…" Tatsuha said on a sigh.

Ever since Kuma's tea party, all he'd been able to think about was Ryuichi. He hadn't yet figured out why Ryuichi had been in the palace in the first place, but at this point, he didn't care. He was sure that the thief couldn't possibly be up to no good. Sneaking around the palace, especially in the royal suites, was completely innocent. Providing that he got to spend more time with his pesky little obsession, he could care less what he was up to. As far as Tatsuha was concerned, Ryuichi had cuteness as an eternal alibi.

At times, his jealousy got the better of him and he started to focus on the tall man that had been with Ryuichi that night. He hadn't recognized him, and the guards that had been in the area mysteriously had concussions. None of them had the slightest inkling of what had happened to them, but Tatsuha was apt to blame the mighty Kumagoro beam that Ryuichi seemed so fond of unleashing on unsuspecting, and suspecting, targets.

Tatsuha sighed again and wandered back into his room. He pulled on his sword belt and the rest of his uniform, double-checking in a mirror that his hat was on right. He was slotted for duty in a few minutes, and he had to focus. Some of his subordinates had noticed his dazed looks, and many had attempted to take advantage of this to score time off. If he didn't stop them now, he'd be responsible for watching all of Agrabah. He shuddered and shook his head a few times, reminding himself that if he had to guard an entire city on his own, he'd never have time to see his darling beloved.

* * *

"There!" Shuichi exclaimed, walking backwards and admiring his handiwork. He and Ryuichi had played 'rock, paper, scissors' to determine who would get the first makeover, and, after all the dust had settled and the blood had been cleaned up, Ryuichi had emerged the victor. "All done!"

"Yay!" Ryuichi squealed, spinning around in his seat to face Shuichi's large vanity mirror. He gasped with delight, completely taken with his new look. Behind him, Shuichi beamed proudly, satisfied with his hard work.

He'd curled Ryuichi's hair to within an inch of its life and then he'd plastered a purple, gluey glitter all over it. After he'd finished with the hair, he'd painted Ryuichi's eyelids bright pink. He lined Ryuich's eyes with a neon blue color and curled his eyelashes. The final touch had been adding some rouge and painting his lips pink to match his eyelids.

"Your turn!" Ryuichi said suddenly, spinning around again and almost knocking Shuichi over. Both had been so absorbed in Ryuichi's new face that they'd lost all senses of reality.

"Okay!" Shuichi answered brightly, no fear present in his voice though any other person would have been terrified at the idea of Ryuichi coming at them with a hair curler.

Shuichi and Ryuichi traded places, both too excited to talk. Ryuichi laid out his tools of choice and cracked his knuckles. He spent a few minutes pondering what to do with Shuichi, completely silent. Shuichi tried to say something a few times, but every time he opened his mouth Ryuichi violently shushed him.

"I'm bored…" Shuichi finally got out, ignoring Ryuichi's shushing. He looked back at Ryuichi and was slightly startled; the usual playful glint was absent. Ryuichi looked quite serious, and Shuichi was a bit unnerved. He was unaware that a makeover was such important business.

"Here. He'll tell you a story." Ryuichi said tonelessly, grabbing Kumagoro and plopping him down in front of Shuichi.

"OK…" Shuichi replied quietly, cocking his head to the side and staring at the mute pink bunny. Shuichi waited for the story to begin, but he eventually gave it up; the bunny wasn't saying anything. Ryuichi grabbed his head and straightened it, concentrating very hard on the task at hand.

"Has he gotten to the picture part yet?" Ryuichi asked absent-mindedly after a few minutes had passed, nodding along to himself and giving Kuma a small high-five for something that amused him.

"The what part?"

"Oh, he says he's just now covering the dance routine. You'll get there." Ryuichi said, smiling to himself and starting to hum a tune.

"What's he covering?" Shuichi asked, completely confused.

"Shh! Listen to Kuma-chan's story!" Ryuichi whispered, taking a well-aimed swipe at Shuichi's face with his paints. "And close your eyes!"

Shuichi did as he was told, even though he had no idea what was going on. Ryuichi was scary when he was styling, and he didn't want to anger the one holding the scissors. After half an hour of Shuichi and Kuma having a staring contest while Ryuichi swooped in and out of Shuichi's line of vision with his various utensils, Ryuichi announced that he was finished.

"Done!" Ryuichi sang, twirling Shuichi around so that he could see the glory of Ryuichi's masterpiece. Ryuichi put a hand over Shuichi's eyes and then pulled it away for dramatic effect. "Look!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Yuki said, entering the room with K close behind. "Trust me."

"Hey!" Ryuichi yelled, immediately reverting back to his goofy self and getting offended.

"Gonna have to say the same to you." K told Ryuichi, shaking his head and whistling slowly. They both looked like cheap drag queens with five year-olds for make-up artists.

"Not cool…" Shuichi said, narrowing his eyes at K. He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at the blonds, clearly not happy with their appraisal of his and Ryuichi's handiwork. "And he likes the way he looks!"

Ryuichi nodded vigorously and Shuichi started doing a mini victory dance. K sighed and turned to Yuki to make a comment, but the other man's face was clouded. K nudged him with his elbow, but Yuki only shuffled to his left, clearly avoiding him.

"You alright?" K asked quietly, relying on Shuichi's little jig to keep him and Ryuichi distracted.

Yuki slowly turned his head and looked at K, content to keep quiet.

"Hmph." K said, crossing his arms and deciding to ignore Yuki for the remainder of the night. He was still upset about their earlier conversation, not to mention this new slight.

K and Yuki watched in silence as the other two flitted around the room, admiring themselves profusely, deciding unanimously to stay out of it. K stepped in only when they started fighting over a small mirror and Ryuichi tried to Kumagoro beam Shuichi.

"Ryuichi!" K yelled, causing Ryuichi to freeze in mid-throw. He looked at K in confusion and resumed his attack. "NO."

"No?" Ryuichi asked, still confused as to why K was stopping his fun. Three feet in front of him, Shuichi stood cringing, waiting for the blow to fall.

"Just move out of the way." Yuki said to Shuichi, marveling at the idiocy in the room. K was now attempting to wrestle the pink rabbit from Ryuichi's clutches and was failing miserably.

"Huh?" Shuichi replied, relaxing his pose and staring quizzically at Yuki.

Yuki sighed and crossed the room, sidestepping the pile of flailing limbs that was K, Ryuichi, and Kuma. He picked Shuichi up and dumped him onto his bed, sitting next to him and watching the brawl.

"That works." Shuichi said, instantly attaching himself to Yuki.

"Not in front of the kids." Yuki responded, putting his hand on Shuichi's forehead and trying to push him away. Shuichi only tightened his grip.

K and Ryuichi continued to roll around, each dead-set on winning the rights to Kuma. When they resorted to biting and hair-pulling, Yuki cleared his throat and leaned forward.

"Ladies, please." Yuki said, wanting to stop the fight before

any unnecessary deaths occurred. "Play nice."

K immediately stopped fighting and took to glaring at Yuki. Several choice responses were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't want to air them out in front of Shuichi. He figured Yuki was a bad enough influence and he didn't want to doom the kid anymore than he already was.

"That's it? That's all you can come up with?" Yuki continued from the bed, safely out of K's reach. "Pretty sad…"

"Yuki!" Shuichi hissed, afraid that the brawl might move towards them. He let go of Yuki and stared at the side of his head, trying to convince him to be nice with his brainwaves.

"He can handle it." Yuki replied quietly, putting a hand over Shuichi's mouth and pushing him backwards. He let out a small yelp and toppled over.

"Not going to dignify your taunts with a response." K snapped, crossing his arms. The rug, who had managed to stay out of the making-over mania and the rumble over Kuma, swooped down and patted K on the head. "Heh, good one."

"And now you're talking to the carpet?" Yuki sniped, feeling rather pleased at the flustered look on K's face. He had one final blow to deal, one that would finish K off, but he had to save if for the perfect moment.

"Real mature, blondie."

"Look who's talking."

"Who's talking?" Ryuichi whispered, failing to follow the conversation.

"Why don't you two clear out? I want to call it a night early." Yuki aimed at K before the latter could formulate a taunting response. Yuki felt sure he'd dealt the death blow; K looked absolutely unhinged. After the lecture K had tried to give him earlier, he was thirsty for revenge. At these words, Shuichi's head snapped up and the wildly expectant look on his face told everyone in the room that he knew exactly what Yuki was talking about.

"You…you…no." K stuttered, trying to hold back the rage. All of his emotions from their fight came flying back. Yuki smiled at him and put a hand on Shuichi's leg, motioning with his head that Ryuichi and K should be moving towards the door.

"Okay!" Ryuichi sang out, hopping onto the carpet with Kuma and flying towards the balcony, completely missing the point. "Night, night!"

"Ryuichi!" K shouted, trying to think of how to make Ryuichi stay.

"You can walk!" Ryuichi called back, sailing out the door and over the balcony.

"Night, K!" Shuichi chirped, flopping back onto the bed again. When Yuki removed his hand, he scowled, but decided not to make a scene; he didn't want to annoy his lover.

"I'm not giving up that easily!" K said, plopping down onto a chair and huffing.

"Alright, stay and watch then." Yuki replied, undoing the sash around his waist and starting to take off his shirt.

"PUT YOUR DAMN CLOTHES BACK ON!" K ordered as loudly as he could without his voice cracking.

"I'd rather not…" Yuki said, pulling his shirt up to his eyes and peeking over the neckline at K. He raised his eyebrows twice.

K stared at Yuki with balled fists, using every ounce of self-control that he possessed to keep himself from tackling the insolent rat winking at him from the bed. He felt his eye start to twitch, and the thought that he was turning into the enemy flitted across his troubled mind. He shuddered at the thought.

Yuki was about to continue tormenting his genie, but Shuichi made the next move instead. The real prince got off of the bed and crossed the room to the spasm-riddled K.

"You need sleep, K-san. You look awful." Shuichi said in a small voice, trying to soothe the obviously-troubled K. Behind Shuichi, Yuki pulled his shirt back on and flopped back onto the bed, crossing his arms behind his head. He winked at K again and closed his eyes, smiling to himself.

"But…"

Shuichi put a finger on K's lips and started to slowly push him towards the door. K didn't resist, as he felt numb from the neck down. Yuki's horrid behavior had pushed him over the edge and sent him into shock.

"But…he's…" K stuttered, his eyebrows knitted together in consternation. He was trying so hard to be articulate, but every time he saw the smug look on Yuki's face, he almost went into silent hysterics. "You're a bad man!"

Yuki started hissing from the bed, containing his laughter. Usually K was good with words, especially if they were insulting and aimed at him. He kept chortling quietly to himself while Shuichi gave K a few more shoves and locked the door behind the still-stuttering genie.

"What was that all about?" Shuichi asked, skipping over to the bed and landing in the middle of Yuki.

"He's trying to protect your virtue." Yuki answered, pulling Shuichi onto his chest and putting his chin on the smaller man's head.

"My what?" Shuichi asked, pulling back and propping himself up by putting his elbows on Yuki's chest.

"Trust me, it's a lost cause."

"Aww…" Shuichi said, apparently pining for his virtue.

"You're better off without it." Yuki said, pulling Shuichi back down and kissing him.

"I'm not sure…" Shuichi responded, unsure if he really was better off without whatever it was that he had lost. "Why can't I know what it was?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Shuichi quipped, thinking back to Ryuichi's 'cool' explanation.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Yuki said with a smile, kissing Shuichi again. He leaned back against the pillows and looked up at Shuichi. The carnage from Ryuichi's styling was still splashed across his normally picturesque face. "You look ridiculous."

"No I don't!" Shuichi squalled, eager to defend Ryuichi. Ryuichi had gone with a Jekyll-Hyde approach to styling. His hair was loosely curled on one side and ramrod straight on the other. On the curled side, his eye was painted with bright red glitter shadow, and his cheeks and lips matched it. The opposite of his face was dark, to match the severely straightened hair. Ryuichi had made him even paler than normal and had heaped gargantuan amounts of black shadow and mascara onto his eye. He'd painted his lips black to match the rest of the macabre side.

"We need to fix this." Yuki decided, nodding his head. He got up and carried Shuichi over the vanity without much trouble, the latter content just to be in Yuki's arms. His emotional attention span was surprisingly short.

Yuki dropped Shuichi onto the chair in front of the mirror and grabbed a cloth from one of the drawers. He wet it in the water basin that was off to the side and started to dab at Shuichi's Ryuichi-ravaged face, being shockingly tender.

"Aww, come on, leave it alone…" Shuichi whined, turning to face Yuki and wrapping his arms around his neck. He tried to kiss him, but Yuki pulled away and pushed him back down onto the chair.

"Not until that mess is off your face." Yuki replied, continuing his paint removal. He ran into some problems when he got to Shuichi's eyes. Ryuichi had piled so much gunk onto them that Yuki was surprised that Shuichi could even blink.

"You didn't mind earlier…"

"You were cute earlier."

Shuichi crossed his arms and started pouting. He sat still while Yuki finished the scourging, boycotting any contact that wasn't completely necessary.

"There. Done." Yuki announced, tossing the soiled rag into the water basin and dusting his hands together. "Let's go to bed."

"Hmph."

Yuki ignored Shuichi's noises and sauntered over to the bed. He sat on the edge and stretched, then patted the spot next to him.

"HMPH." Shuichi said louder, crossing his legs and jiggling one of his feet repeatedly.

"What now?" Yuki said exasperatedly.

"Not telling." Shuichi answered, his feathers ruffled after Yuki's rude dismissal of his and Ryuichi's hard work.

"Alright. Night then." Yuki replied, hoisting himself off of the plush bed and heading for the door.

Shuichi pursed his lips and sat absolutely still, not wanting to give up so easily. He lost it, however, when Yuki was halfway out of the door.

"WAIT!" Shuichi screeched, launching himself across the room and hitting Yuki square in the back. They both went toppling though the door, and they landed with Shuichi sitting on Yuki's back.

"You're a lunatic, you know that?" Yuki asked, feeling snippy. Shuichi was a lot heavier than he looked.

"Yep!"

"You still pouting?"

"Nope!"

"Jeez…"

"Huh?"

"Just get off…." Yuki muttered, his kidneys starting to ache. He was starting to think that Shuichi would be the end of him.

"OK!"

Shuichi bounced up, happy that Yuki was still there. He hopped back into his room, whistling to himself. Yuki stayed in the hall for a few seconds, trying to muster the energy to get up. He eventually did, and leaned against the nearest wall for support. He glanced into Shuichi's room and noticed that it was surprisingly, and thankfully, empty. He sighed and walked back in, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

"Shuichi?" Yuki called, years of living with Ryuichi leaving him frightened of unexplained absences.

"Out here!" Shuichi responded from the balcony. Yuki heard a few grunts and figured that Shuichi was saying goodnight to Cinda.

"You're not still mad, are you?" Yuki asked tentatively, unsure of what to make out of Shuichi's mood swings. He made Ryuichi look benign sometimes. He held his breath, waiting for an answer.

"Nope!"

Yuki exhaled and shook his head. He was definitely worse than Ryuichi.

"I'm happy as long as you stay."

Yuki's heart stopped; K must have gotten to him.

"Why's that?" Yuki queried in a slightly higher-than-normal voice.

"I dunno, I just like being with you." Shuichi answered lightly, coming back into the room and giving the shocked Yuki a tight hug.

"Right…" Yuki managed to reply. K hadn't had a chance to talk to Shuichi, he'd watched him all night. Yuki did some deep breathing and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to calm himself down. He couldn't quite figure out why he was so worked up over this, but he'd definitely felt something.

"You alright?" Shuichi asked, concerned. He got on the bed behind Yuki and started to rub his back.

"I'll be fine." Yuki lied, not sure if he would be or not. He'd never experienced this kind of feeling before. Eager to reclaim his normal mindset, he turned around and kissed Shuichi, pushing him down onto the bed.

* * *

Wow…so much for the double-update weekend. Stupid finals. Anyway, my plan for Chapter 20 was utterly destroyed by what's coming up in the next post, so it's either going to be three parts or four parts depending on what happens next. Otherwise Part B would've been thirty-eight pages long…

Anyway, I hope everyone had a good holiday run, and happy New Year. Hopefully this monstrosity will be wrapped up before 2011. If it's not, I might just throw my laptop out of a window. I'll see you next post, which will be in a few days seeing as it's already completely finished.

-Amaya


	25. Chapter 20 Part C

Shuichi fell asleep right away, curled up in a ball next to Yuki. He slept peacefully for awhile, but then his disturbing exchange with the rabbit came back to him. He didn't understand why Ryuichi thought everyone could understand him when the bunny was obviously silent. He had a few mix-matched dreams about Ryuichi in a bunny suit, and then he was suddenly in Kuma's story.

* * *

_He was standing on the edge of an oasis; everything around him was fuzzy, and he was aware that he was having a very realistic dream. Inside the oasis, he could see Ryuichi and K talking, and standing in front of them was Yuki. _

_ Shuichi watched the exchange in front of him, but he was too far away to hear any words. He edged closer, afraid that he might be spotted, even though he was dreaming. Yuki looked insane, and Shuichi was more than a little scared of him. As he scooted forward, the clearing was suddenly engulfed in smoke, and Shuichi heard some distinct popping noises. He got within ten feet of the smoke, and he could hear everything that was happening inside the dark cloud._

_ "Showtime." K said, and Shuichi heard him clear his throat._

_ "What the hell is all of this?" Yuki hissed. Shuichi noticed a different edge to his voice and wondered what had happened to him. _

_ "IT'S GONE DARK! I CAN'T SEE!" Ryuichi squalled. Shuichi heard a soft 'thump' and saw that Ryuichi was sitting next to Kuma, cradling his head in his hands. "MAKE IT STOP, YUKI, MAKE IT STOP!"_

_ "SHUT THE HELL UP!" Yuki retorted, ready to kill everyone in the clearing. "I'M SO SICK OF-"_

_ Before Yuki could finish his response, K tackled him to the ground, knocking the breath out of him. Shuichi gasped and jumped back, wanting to stay as far away as possible. K snapped his fingers again and the smoke cleared away completely, washing the scene with desert sunlight. _

_ K was sprawled across Yuki, holding the wriggling man down to the ground. Ryuichi was dancing around, apparently thrilled with the return of the sunlight. _

_ "Ryuichi! Get a rope!" K ordered, gesturing to a large box that most certainly had not been there before._

_ "Aye, aye!" Ryuichi chimed in, running over to the box._

_ "Ryuichi! Don't get a rope!" Yuki yelled, trying to confuse Ryuichi long enough for him to make his escape. Ryuichi stopped in mid-gallop and turned to look at Yuki. He started to back up, away from the box._

_ "Ryuichi! Get the stupid rope!" K screamed, struggling to hold Yuki down. Ryuichi nodded and jumped forward, concentrating on the large wooden square in front of him._

_ "Ryuichi! Don't get the stupid rope!" Yuki shouted, head-butting K and making a run for it. He got about five steps away before another flying tackle from K brought him down. K ended up sprawled across Yuki's back. Ryuichi started to dance in place, unsure of what to do next. He backed away from both Yuki and the box, and looked like he was about to bolt into the trees._

_ "Either get that rope or its curtains for Kuma!" K yelled, his voice cracking. Ryuichi edged away from the woods, looking like a deer caught in someone's headlights._

_ "He's bluffing, Ryuichi, don't get the rope!" Yuki yelled louder. Ryuichi stood stock-still, thinking to himself that if he stopped moving, they'd stop yelling. _

_ "SHUT UP!" K screeched, losing his composure. He whacked Yuki on the head and pushed his face into the sand to keep him quiet. He cleared his throat and then calmed down. "Ryuichi, the rope if you please."_

_ "Ummm…" Ryuichi mumbled, looking towards the trees again. Shuichi stayed where he was, hoping that no one could see him._

_ "Ryuichi." K said calmly, still holding Yuki's face down. Yuki's arms flailed wildly, trying to unseat his captor. _

_ Ryuichi gulped and stepped timidly towards the box. When Yuki didn't yell at him or start screaming, Ryuichi moved with a purpose and gathered up K's rope. He inched over to K, and handed him the rope gingerly. _

_ "Thank you, my good sir. Now why don't you help me tie him up?" K said, trying to soothe Ryuichi. He wouldn't get very far without his help. Ryuichi stayed quiet, analyzing the situation. Shuichi circled the trio, his eyes wide. He'd never seen all of them in action like this before. It was kind unnerving to be hovering around the edges, an unseen narrator. When Ryuichi made no move to help, K tried a new approach. "Hey, this was your idea!"_

_ A muffled roar issued from the sand where Yuki's face was buried; he'd never suspected that Ryuichi would turn on him so fast, though he'd known that it was inevitable from the beginning of K's fancy song._

_ "I know, I know…but I don't want to make Yuki mad again…" Ryuichi said, his brow furrowed. He didn't know how to follow two captains, and his sudden burst of loyalty to Yuki wasn't helping matters. He looked to Yuki for reassurance, but the latter's submerged head made no movement whatsoever. Ryuichi shrugged, deciding that K was the way to go; Yuki had stopped moving all together, and Ryuichi took this as a sign of surrender, not as a sign of lack of oxygen. "Okay!"_

_ "Great, you grab his hands." K said, getting off of Yuki very slowly. He grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him up. Yuki fought back a little, but his brain was too foggy to mount a decent defense. Ryuichi grabbed his hands and put them behind his back. Within five minutes, Ryuichi and K had Yuki tied around a tree. His hands were bound behind his back, behind the tree, and his feet were anchored by a large rock and some more rope. K had tried to muzzle him after sustaining a pretty serious bite, but Ryuichi had stepped in at that point. _

_ Shuichi couldn't believe what was happening; he knew that Yuki was really mad at K and Ryuichi, but he'd never thought it was because of something this serious. He gulped and hoped that it got better from here on out for his beloved. _

_ "First things first…he needs to look like he didn't just crawl out of a sewer drain." K said, cracking his knuckles and looking Yuki over. Yuki narrowed his eyes at the 'sewer drain' comment, but kept quiet. He knew when he was beat, and this was definitely one of those times. It was just plain deadly to interfere with Ryuichi's schemes, and the short one looked much too excited. He'd clearly sided in full with K. "We need to get his measurements."_

_ K snapped his fingers and a tape measure wound itself around his arms. Yuki squirmed uncomfortably, wondering exactly what K would be measuring. _

_ "Ryuichi, I need you to hold his arm when I untie him, OK?" K said, staring Yuki down, daring him to cause any more trouble. "We don't want a rampaging Yuki on our hands."_

_ Ryuichi skipped forward, now eager for his wish for Yuki to be fulfilled. _

_ "Alright you, behave." K breathed quietly to Yuki when he reached the street rat. _

_ Yuki glared at K, still keeping quiet. He had no idea what K was going to do to him, and he didn't think it prudent to provoke the powerful genie when he was tied to a tree and absolutely incapable of defending himself. K untied his right arm and measured his wrists and from his hand to his shoulder. After he re-tied him, he did the same to his left. The rest of the measuring went pretty smooth until K tried to take Yuki's in-seam on his pants. He ran his hand up the inside of Yuki's leg, the tape measure tied around his pointer finger. When K's hand was between Yuki's knees, Yuki clamped them together and snared K's fingers._

_ "Go any higher and I'll break your fingers."_

_ "Release my fingers or I'll break your knees."_

_ Shuichi couldn't hear the exchange, but he could see the look on Yuki's face and he was worried for K's safety, even if the taller man was a nearly invincible genie. _

_ "I'm serious." Yuki hissed through gritted teeth, staring down at K as best he could._

_ "You think I'm not? I'm trying to help you out here." _

_ "How the hell is this helping me? I didn't ask for this, I wished for money!" Yuki spat, feeling disgusted with his current situation. Shuichi darted around the foggy edge of the clearing and came to rest behind the tree that Yuki was tied to. He was close enough he could feel the practically palpable tension. _

_ "You want your Prince, don't you?" K asked, glaring up at Yuki. Shuichi gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth, forgetting that no one could hear him. _

_ "I never said that! That was Ryuichi's idea!"_

_ "No need to get so sensitive…we all know you're in love."_

_ "I AM NOT!" Yuki yelled, trying to kick K. His feet were too weighted down however, and all he accomplished was to jostle K's hand to a more northern position. _

_ "Didn't think we were that close, Yuki-san." K said quietly, a huge smile on his face. Yuki looked like he was about to spontaneously combust on the spot. "While I'm here, I might as well finish the job. _

_ Yuki merely hissed, not trusting himself to speak, especially not when K's hand was where it was. He closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for it all to be over. Shuichi came around the side of the tree, eager to see what was going on, and trying very hard not to look where K's hand was. _

_ "I wanna do the clothes!" Ryuichi shouted suddenly, coming out of the trance he'd been in since helping K untie Yuki's limbs. K nodded, concentrating on his task. He really didn't want his hand to get to third base with Yuki. Yuki continued to hold his breath, waiting for it to end. _

_ "There. You can relax, Yuki-san, I'm done feeling you up." K said with a smile, standing up and dusting his hands together. Yuki glowered at him, still staying quiet. Shuichi giggled, and turned his attention to Ryuichi, who had pulled a doodle pad out of K's box and was entertaining himself and Kuma with some crayons. "Ryuichi, you ready?"_

_ "Yep!" Ryuichi answered, running over to K with the pad. What Shuichi had taken for silly drawings were actually detailed clothing sketches. Shuichi gasped and scooted forward to see them. Before he could catch a glimpse, however, K snapped his fingers and they disappeared._

_ "Let's get this over with, then." K announced. He snapped his fingers again and a dressing room of sorts appeared, complete with a tri-fold mirror. A little stool stood in front of it, and Ryuichi's sketches were covering the walls. K was surprised at how many Ryuichi had come up with in the short time he'd had. K didn't think it'd taken him that long to finish Yuki's measurements, but then again, who knew._

_ K untied Yuki's arms but kept his legs bound for everyone's well-being. He didn't want to get kicked, and he didn't want to waste his time chasing Yuki around the oasis should he escape. K led Yuki over to the stool and pulled him onto it, as Yuki had decided to make the procedure as difficult for K as humanly possible. _

_ "You keep this mess up and I'll make you wear a dress." K threatened under his breath, not wanting to encourage Ryuichi's crayons. There were already several feminine sketches attached to the walls surrounding the mirror. _

_ Yuki snorted and shook his head, disbelieving. K indeed seemed to have a flair for the strangely dramatic, but Yuki also sensed in him a need for everything to go according to a specific plan. He couldn't imagine K landing him in a dress for his grand royal entry._

_ "Have it your way." K remarked, snapping his fingers. A cloud of dust surrounded the dressing room, and Shuichi again had to move forward to see what was going on in his bizarre dream. The dust settled unnaturally quickly, and when it did, everyone that could see the mirror wished it hadn't. _

_ Yuki was wearing an Elizabethan gown, complete with lead face-paint and a gigantic wig. A gigantic ruff was around his neck, preventing him from looking anywhere but straight ahead. The hoop skirt came out two feet on every side, and the hair piece added about a foot and a half of height to Yuki's frame. K had squeezed him into an extremely tight corset and Yuki was tottering around on the stool, trying to get a breath so that he didn't pass out. The face-paint was stark white, and the red that K had slathered over his lips made them stand out more than was naturally possible. He'd apparently misjudged K._

_ "What the-"_

_ "Oh Yuki, you're so pretty!" Ryuichi squealed, clapping his hands together and pirouetting in place. _

_ "Very dashing." K interjected, pleased with his handiwork. He wasn't going to let Ryuichi have all the fun. _

_ Shuichi's mouth fell open and he couldn't decide if he wanted to laugh or throw up. He chose the first, and fell to his knees, shaking with laughter. If Yuki hadn't looked so miserable, he didn't think he would've been able to stop._

_ "K." Yuki finally managed, his eyes shut tight. His arms were jutting out at strange angles due to the tight corset, and he was barely able to keep his balance._

_ "You rang?"_

_ "Change it. Now." Yuki ordered, his voice slightly muffled by the ruff. _

_ "You didn't say the magic word!" K sang out._

_ "GET RID OF THE GODDAMN DRESS!"_

_ "That definitely wasn't the magic word…" K muttered._

_ "DAMMIT, MAN!"_

_ "I'm not a man, I'm a genie. You apparently aren't one either…" K replied, stroking his chin._

_ "Put him in something else K, I don't think he likes this one very much." Ryuichi said from the corner, appearing to take a stand for Yuki but actually suffering from boredom. _

_ "Fine, fine…" _

_ K snapped his fingers, staring at one of Ryuichi's colorful drawings. When the dust settled again, Yuki was relieved; he wasn't wearing another dress. Instead, K had outfitted him in a silken outfit, complete with a hyper-embellished robe. The entire thing was made out of purple and dark blue silks, and the thread was gold. The robe had a high mandarin collar, and the sleeves had buttons that ran up to Yuki's elbows. The bottom of the robe pooled around Yuki's ankles and this pleased him more than anything; he was too tall for most things to fit him properly, let alone be longer than necessary._

_ Yuki looked himself over, pleased with the outfit. Ryuichi pranced around the stool with a pincushion, making little adjustments where he deemed necessary. Yuki gulped and watched his progress intently, knowing that Ryuichi had absolutely no sewing experience, next to the time he'd stitched Kuma's name into a pillow. Shuichi followed Ryuichi, taking in every angle, and liking what he saw very much._

_ "This one is too normal, we need shock factor." K decided, pulling Ryuichi away from the beautiful robe and snapping again. Behind him, Shuichi sighed, sad to see the outfit go. _

_ The third outfit was thankfully masculine, but Yuki refused to accept it. K had him decked out in a long fur cape, complete with a ridiculous gold crown. The actual outfit consisted of a gold vest with some burgundy tassels, a heeled boot that went up to his knee, and horribly tight pants that left nothing to the imagination. _

_ "No." Yuki said immediately, feeling slightly self-conscious._

_ "Agreed." K consented, shielding his eyes and snapping again before Ryuichi could get too involved with his pins. Shuichi tried to stop himself from blushing, but he couldn't help it. He turned around, and when he glanced over his shoulder, the dressing room was again obscured by a dust cloud. _

_ "Just pick one already…" Yuki muttered before the dust had cleared, tired of being Ryuichi's dress-up doll. _

_ "I say the first!" K chimed in._

_ "The second." Yuki said quickly, wishing he could do something exceedingly violent to K. _

_ "We're not done yet!" Ryuichi squalled, tears welling up. "I worked real hard!"_

_ When the scene cleared, Yuki was wearing a Pharaoh's headdress and not much else. Ryuichi had him in a short skirt of sorts that barely kept him decent. _

_ "NO!" Yuki and K shouted at the same time. Shuichi gasped at what was in the mirror and started blushing again. _

_ "HEY!" Ryuichi yelled indignantly, wanting his designs to be taken seriously. "Kuma likes them…"_

_ The rabbit stayed still in the sand next to Ryuichi's abandoned crayons, and Ryuichi felt comforted by the non-verbal exchange that no one else present could pick up on._

_ K snapped his fingers, again hiding his eyes from the horrendous sight in the mirror. Yuki's Egyptian get-up was replaced with a more northern look; Ryuichi had him in a kilt. Yuki covered his face with his hands, afraid to look anymore. _

_ "Ryuichi…I'm not sure you should play with crayons anymore." K said, looking at Yuki with distaste. "I'm serious, this is…"_

_ "Wrong." Yuki finished succinctly, peeking through his hands with one eye to take in the damage._

_ Besides the kilt, he was wearing a flouncy white shirt and a sash. He had on socks that went to his knees, some bulky shoes, and a weird little cap with what looked like a red cotton ball on top. Shuichi snorted when he saw the outfit, and the look on Yuki's face. _

_ "That's not everything, K!" Ryuichi complained, stomping his foot._

_ "Right, right…" K replied, snapping his fingers again. Yuki stared at him with wide eyes, unable to think of what else could be coming. He turned back to face the mirror and was promptly hit in the head with a large green and red bagpipe. _

_ "What the hell?" Yuki said, rubbing his head where it had been assaulted by the plaid instrument. He'd barely managed to stay on his feet._

_ "Ta da!" Ryuichi chirped, twirling again. He grabbed the conjured music-maker and attempted to play it. Yuki glanced over at Ryuichi and shook his head. Shuichi kept his hands firmly clamped over his ears, unwilling to let them be assaulted any longer by Ryuichi's noise. _

_ "K…" _

_ "Yeah, yeah, I hear you." K sighed. It was hard to enjoy tormenting Yuki when he looked so sad. He snapped his fingers, causing Yuki's latest trend to disappear. _

_ Ryuichi continued his attempt to master the sounds of the north, but another snap from K caused his bagpipe to vanish mid-blow. Ryuichi pouted at K, but got over himself in time to see his last sketch on Yuki. _

_ The smoke from K's magic started to disappear, and K groaned. He couldn't see the entirety of Yuki's new look, but he could tell that a central component was something garishly yellow and floor-length. _

_ "What? What is it? Why are you groaning?" Yuki asked hurriedly, his paranoia returning. He couldn't imagine anything worse than what he'd already been subjected to, but then again, this was Ryuichi. _

_ "Oh, this is my favorite!" Ryuichi cried when he could see the full effect of his last sketch on Yuki. "Kuma's too."_

_ "Oh dear god…" K murmured, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, completely flabbergasted. _

_ "What? Is it worse than the others?" Yuki queried, his eyes closed tight to avoid scarring himself for eternity. "K!"_

_ "It's worse."_

_ "That's not nice, it's pretty!" Ryuichi said, indignant tears welling in his eyes. "Yuki, open your eyes!"_

_ "I'd rather not." _

_ "KUMAGORO BEAM!" Ryuichi screamed, hoisting Kuma up and throwing him a light speed towards Yuki's head. Yuki never saw it coming, as his eyes were closed, and he toppled over when the plush rabbit slammed into his skull. _

_ "Dammit, Ryuichi!" Yuki yelled, turning to face Ryuichi. Ryuichi danced in front of the large mirror, his scheme to make Yuki look completed. "Ryuichi…"_

_ Shuichi had been shocked into silence, unsure of what to do with what he was looking at. Sure, it wasn't as revealing as the others, and it definitely wasn't a dress, but it wasn't good either. It was like some kind of six camel pile-up; you wanted to look away, desperately, but you never could._

_ Yuki was draped in a very long, and very outlandish, orange and yellow rain coat. Underneath it, Ryuichi had drawn him into some short bike shorts, a tight shirt that was missing the mid-riff, and some almost knee-high boots with red lines. He was also sporting some fingerless gloves. Shuichi giggled, and turned around, not wanting the blushing to start again. _

_ "Ryuichi." Yuki stated quietly. "I'm going to have to kill you now."_

_ "Let's not, play nice Yuki-san, he was only trying to help…" K said in a calm voice, trying to soothe Yuki. _

_ Yuki stood up to strangle his accomplice, and the effect was shocking. It had been bad enough when he was sprawled in the sand, but this was much, much worse. K yelped and snapped his fingers again, no clear picture in his head. _

_ "Okay, I think we're good now." K announced when he could see what Yuki was wearing this time. "It's safe, you can look."_

_ Yuki opened one eye, not entirely sure whether or not he trusted K. He was pleasantly surprised, however. K had put him in a dark blue shirt with flared button sleeves and gold detailing. He was wearing loose fitting pants that had a wide, embroidered cuff, and a sash at the waist. He exhaled, relieved, and Shuichi nodded his approval._

_ "I liked mine better…" Ryuichi whispered to Kuma, not very fond of K's design. It lacked pizzazz. _

_ "Well, I'm sure that Agrabah will appreciate mine more." K answered, thinking back to the skirts and tight pants of Ryuichi's imagination. _

_ "Let's just go with this, no more experiments." Yuki said, feeling nervous. Ryuichi looked like he wanted to throw a tantrum and that was never a good experience. _

_ "On to hair and make-up, then." K said after some deliberation. He snapped, replacing the dressing room with a salon. K grabbed Yuki and forced him into a spiny chair in front of a mirror. He undid Yuki's leg shackle, deciding that he wasn't a flight risk without the scandalous clothing. _

_ "I'm not wearing make-up!" Yuki shouted, trying to jump out of the chair. K grabbed his gun and held it to Yuki's head._

_ "You'll do what I tell you or you'll get shot."_

_ Yuki huffed and plopped back into the chair, crossing his arms and glaring into the mirror. He was fine with the way he looked, and he'd be damned before he'd wear lipstick. Shuichi walked over to chair and stood beside it, sure now that no one could see or hear him. He sat on the counter by the mirror, and watched Yuki for the duration of K's styling._

_ "What kind of look should we do..?" K thought aloud, the wheels in his head turning. _

_ "Nothing. You should just keep it the same." Yuki answered him, unwilling to change._

_ "Oooh!" Ryuichi squealed suddenly, breaking the tension between Yuki and K. Both turned to look at Ryuichi, and both were frightened; he'd found the scissors. _

_ "Ryuichi, just put them down…nice and easy…" K advised, trying to keep Ryuichi calm. He walked slowly toward Ryuichi, intent on recovering the scissors. _

_ "SHINY!" Ryuichi screamed, dodging K and running around the salon in frenzied circles. He started opening and closing the scissors, thrilled with this new discovery. He ran into Yuki's chair and sent the latter spinning rapidly._

_ "Ugh…" Yuki said, holding his mouth and stomach and feeling like he was going to hurl. He had a glimpse of Ryuichi advancing on him with the scissors open before the dizziness overwhelmed his vision. He heard some clicking noises that were much too close to his face, and some gasps from K. _

_ "Ryuichi…" Yuki said drunkenly. "What'd you do?"_

_ "I fixed you, Yuki!" Ryuichi replied, jiving around in a circle. _

_ "I needed to be fixed?" Yuki asked, trying to stand now that his chair was still and instead falling flat on his face. _

_ "You'd better not look…" K said, swiping the scissors from the distracted Ryuichi and locking them up. _

_ "Why?" _

_ "Just trust me."_

_ Yuki glared at K when he regained control of his eyes and pulled himself up on the counter. He shuddered when he saw his hair; half of the left side of his hair was missing. On the sand, there were a few clumps of golden hair. _

_ "RYUICHI!" Yuki roared, grabbing some brushes and combs and throwing them at the still-dancing Ryuichi._

_ Ryuichi yipped and dove behind one of the walls, peeking his head around the corner occasionally to see if the coast was clear. _

_ "Okay, I don't think we need any make-up…just a trim." K said, changing the subject to sidetrack the enraged Yuki. _

_ "A trim? Half my hair's gone!" Yuki yelled, turning on K._

_ "Actually, it's more like a quarter, and I can fix that."_

_ Yuki glared at K, waiting for him to prove it. K glared back and snapped his fingers, replacing the locks that Ryuichi had lobbed off._

_ "There, all better Miss Prissy." K said, mock-bowing at Yuki. _

_ "Hmph."_

_ "Let's just get this over with." K told Yuki, cracking his knuckles and conjuring some small scissors. Ryuichi 'oohed' and 'ahhed', but K kept a tight grip on them to dissuade him. _

_ Ryuichi got bored with the haircut very quickly, and he and Kuma decided to rifle through a few more drawers to see what they could find. K completely ignored him, focused on not shearing Yuki. _

_Ryuichi went through the drawers rather quickly, as nothing was grabbing his attention. He reached the last drawer and pulled it open, hoping that he'd find something new. _

_ There was only one thing in the drawer; an electric shaver. Ryuichi had no idea what it was, or what it did, but he was immediately intrigued. He put Kuma down and reached for the alien device. There was a small slider on the side, and Ryuichi pushed it a few times until the small metal object in his hand started whirring. He smiled wide, but kept quiet. He didn't want K to prematurely ruin his fun. _

_ K currently had his back turned on Yuki, as he was getting some product for the styling. He'd already trimmed Yuki up and washed his hair. Ryuichi crept towards his tall friend, eager to try out his new toy. He stood up behind Yuki and ran the shaver from the back of his neck to his bangs before the other man was aware of what was happening. _

_ "Ryuichi?" Yuki asked incredulously, staring at the bald stripe in the middle of his head. _

_ K spun around, scared of Yuki's tone. When he saw Ryuichi holding the shaver and the look on Yuki's face, he groaned. _

_ "Ryuichi, give me the shaver."_

_ "No! It's my friend, you can't have it!" Ryuichi said loudly, clutching the still-running shaver to his chest. When it buzzed him, he yelped and threw it at K. _

_ "Whoa!" K yelled, jumping sideways to narrowly avoid the sinisterly vibrating shaver. "That's it, we're done here."_

_ K snapped his fingers and the shaver vanished. He snapped again to replace Yuki's missing hair before Yuki recovered from his shock enough to kill Ryuichi. He was currently opening and closing his mouth, staring at himself in the mirror. When his hair returned, he sighed, content, and slumped down in the chair. Shuichi laughed to himself, enjoying the fiasco in front of him. He walked away from the salon and found a better vantage point._

_ "Alright. Now we need transportation…" K replied, looking excited. "Ryuichi, let's confer."_

_ "Con what?" Ryuichi asked, cocking his head and raising his eyebrows. _

_ "No! No Ryuichi! Leave him out of it!" _

_ "Go back to your tree and chill. Let the adults handle this." K ordered, pointing at the tree that they'd tied Yuki to earlier. _

_ "What the hell does that mean? I'm an adult! Ryuichi's the child here!"_

_ "But I'm older than you, Yuki!" Ryuichi said with a smile, picking up Kuma and skipping over to K. Shuichi's eyes widened. Ryuichi looked like he was eighteen and acted like he was eight. He couldn't imagine that he was older than Yuki. _

_ "Really? I was just messing with you, but that's hilarious." K snorted, pleased that he had found a new way to tease Yuki._

_ "Shut. It."_

_ K shook his head for a few seconds and then focused on how Yuki was going to make his big entrance. Ryuichi whispered a few ideas in his ear and K toned them down so that no one would get hurt. If he tried to make Yuki ride a flying pink unicorn, things might get ugly. _

_ "Okay, I'm going to conjure them all up and bring them out one at a time for you to try out." K directed at Yuki, snapping to make the salon disappear, only to be replaced by a barn-like structure. K walked into his new conjuration, and those left behind could hear snapping and strange animal noises. "Here's option number one!" _

_ K pranced out of the barn, leading a camel. He smiled and gestured to the camel, looking much too excited._

_ "Fine, go with that." Yuki said quickly, afraid of what else might come out; a pillar of flames had just erupted from a hole in the barn's roof. _

_ "Too boring!" Ryuichi shouted, giving K a thumbs down. "Boo!"_

_ K hated being booed, and he gave Ryuichi a response with a rude hand gesture. He tugged the camel back into the barn and then danced back out with his next grand idea._

_ "See? Monochromatic!" _

_ "It's a panda." Yuki stated, giving K an 'are you kidding me?' look. _

_ "Exactly!"_

_ "No." _

_ Ryuichi neglected to comment, as he was occupied with trying to teach Kuma K's hand sign. Shuichi sat beside him, enthralled. _

_ "Fine…" K muttered, stomping back into the barn with his panda. "But from here on out, it's all Ryuichi!"_

_ Yuki gulped and shuddered, wishing he'd just gone with the stupid panda. _

_ K backed out of his barn, throwing the doors open. He ducked, and Yuki immediately wanted to scream; a rug swooped out of the barn. It was identical to the Rug Man, except it was green and purple. _

_ "NO!" Yuki shouted, and the original rug threw a rock at his head. It had stayed out of the proceedings, but the new rug had intrigued it. _

_ "Yeah…wouldn't want Rug Man to get jealous." K said on a nod, snapping to make the second rug disappear. The rug made a few angry noises that only K could hear and flew off again. "It's for the best, man!"_

_ "Stop talking to the carpet." Yuki snapped, and the rug hurled a stick at his head. _

_ "Stop talking to the carpet…" K mimicked, going back into the barn. He came back out dragging a huge chain._

_ A gigantic dragon loped out behind him, and Yuki suddenly had an explanation for the earlier fire. He guessed that this was Ryuichi's idea, and stepped into the trees for safety. _

_ "If he breathes fire, you'll die first!" K yelled to Yuki, patting the dragon on the leg._

_ "Good!" Yuki retorted, thinking that death would be better than being paraded by force through Agrabah._

_ Shuichi, Ryuichi, and Kuma all stopped their hand sign lesson to stare at K's largest creation. Shuichi scooted behind Ryuichi, fearing for his life. Ryuichi and Kuma applauded, thrilled with K's accuracy. The dragon was just as they'd imagined. _

_ "I'm not riding that thing!" Yuki called from the trees._

_ "Probably not a good idea for Agrabah…it's a desert, no water. Fire's not so good…" K said, more to himself than to anyone else. He snapped, and the dragon disappeared just like the second rug had. "Here's the last one!"_

_ K grabbed a small rope and dragged out a bright pink bird with a long neck. It was much bigger than a normal flamingo, and Yuki decided that it was in his best interest to stay put in the trees. _

_ "Get out here and meet Philippe!" K shouted to Yuki, patting the flamingo's back._

_ "Philippe?" Yuki asked, raising and eyebrow and poking his head out of the trees. _

_ At the sound of a stranger using its name, the flamingo reared back and broke free of its tether. It charged the trees, aiming for Yuki. Yuki tried to dodge it, but he couldn't get around the rampaging flamingo. Philippe ran smack into him and sent him flying into a tree. Yuki fell to the ground, unconscious. _

_ K shook out his ponytail and sighed; Yuki wasn't going to be happy when he woke up. He snapped, and everything disappeared. _

_ "Well…I guess we can start working on his entrance…" K suggested to Ryuichi, shrugging. He ventured into the trees and pulled Yuki out. "At least he can't object to any of our ideas this way."_

_ "It's go time." Ryuichi said with a wicked smile, pounding a fist into his open palm. _

_ "The bigger the better, I say." _

_ "LET'S DO A PARADE!" Ryuichi yelled suddenly, the inspiration whacking him upside the head. "We can have dancers, and fireworks, and animals, and, and, FIRE!"_

_ "Sounds good." K replied in a calm voice, trying to keep the lid on the situation. He had a feeling that Ryuichi and fire wouldn't pair well. He leaned against a tree, still hovering on the edge of the palm tree forest. _

_ "But I don't think Yuki'll like it…"_

_ "That's why we're doing this now. What he wants doesn't really matter if he can't speak for himself. I say we strap him to something and march him to the palace. You can have your dancers and fireworks while we're going through the city." K responded, making sure to leave out the part about fire._

_ "What about my fire?"_

_ "Maybe when you're older."_

_ "Awww!"_

_ Ryuichi pouted in silence for a while and K thought over the logistics for the parade. He would need a new song, and someone to introduce Yuki. Ryuichi seemed enthusiastic enough for it. He'd have him lead the parade and he'd stay in the shadows and direct. He nodded a few times, convincing himself that this was the best course of action. _

_ "Ryuichi. How do people usually respond to parades? We need them to enjoy this, we don't want a mutiny." K asked, snapping Ryuichi out of his gloom._

_ "If the person is nice, we like them. If he's a meanie, then we don't." Ryuichi answered in a matter-of-fact tone. _

_ "We need a way to make the people like him, then.. He's not exactly personable." K told Ryuichi, dragging Yuki away from the trees so that he could keep an eye on him. _

_ "Oh, I know!" Ryuichi yelled again. His muse was obviously in a very good mood._

_ Ryuichi ran over to K and started to whisper furiously fast, trying to get all of his ideas out before he forgot them. _

_ "I like that…" K muttered, listening intently. "Let's start working."_

_ "Kuma, watch Yuki. Make sure he doesn't get eaten." Ryuichi told the bunny, sitting him on top of Yuki's chest._

_ K and Ryuichi wandered off to the edge of the oasis, leaving Yuki and Kuma behind. _

_ Shuichi peeked out from behind the tree he'd jumped behind to avoid any flamingo damage; it looked pretty safe. He ambled over to Yuki and plopped down beside him, content to watch K and Ryuichi from a considerable distance._

_ The best he could tell, Ryuichi had regained control of the sketch pad and crayons, and had sat himself down in some shade to scribble out his grand ideas. K paced erratically, his mouth moving every once in a while. Shuichi guessed that he was probably talking to himself. Beside him, Yuki groaned and rolled over in his sleep, burying his face into the sand. _

_ Shuichi flopped onto his back, willing to let the dream take care of itself for now. A few minutes later, excited Ryuichi squeals dragged him back into the escapade. He sighed, looking at Yuki's sleeping form, and hoisted himself up to see what all the commotion was about. _

_ Ryuichi was hopping in place while K flipped through his sketches. Shuichi couldn't imagine what he'd been drawing this time, and he gulped; K looked much too pleased. He approached them cautiously, wanting to hear what they were saying._

_ "This looks great, I say we do pages two, four, and seven." K said to Ryuichi, handing him the sketches. "That should be enough, you have several on each page."_

_ "We have to do number nine too, or no deal."_

_ "Ryuichi, if we do that one we won't live to see tomorrow…"_

_ "But!"_

_ "No."_

_ "K!"_

_ "Ryuichi!" K shouted, looking menacing. He hadn't felt the need to stand up for Yuki before, but now he did. Ryuichi had some really messed up sketches. _

_ "Fine, fine, we'll do it your way." Ryuichi said, sticking his tongue out at K and crossing his arms. _

_ "Alrighty then." K answered, snapping his fingers. A large, white curtain appeared, separating off a part of the oasis, and Shuichi was scared to look behind it. "I'll get Yuki, you start setting up."_

_ Shuichi sat down on a rock, watching K drag Yuki behind the curtain. For a while, all he could hear was Ryuichi humming to himself, but that was eventually replaced with strange clicking noises. Every once in a while, a flash of light would illuminate what was happening behind the curtain, but only for a split second. After about ten minutes, the noises stopped all together._

_ "That should do it for the slideshow." Shuichi heard K say. "Let's work on the song before he wakes up."_

_ K snapped his fingers and the curtain disappeared. Shuichi caught a quick glimpse of some extras before they too vanished. He sighed and approached them again, ready for his long dream to be over. At this point, it was practically a nightmare. _

_ K and Ryuichi worked on their choreography for the next fifteen minutes, and Shuichi couldn't fathom how those two had pulled off such a successful parade. They currently had their arms around each other's waists and were doing some sort of can-can jig. Ryuichi started to spin around, and tripped over a log, bringing both of them down. Shuichi heard some cursing from K, some crying from Ryuichi, and then the chaos was parted by the sound of Yuki's voice. Shuichi's head snapped around, and he felt very happy to see the only semi-sane person regain consciousness. _

_ "What the hell are you doing?" Yuki asked, getting off of the ground and staring at K and Ryuichi. "Dancing?" _

_ "Yeah!" Ryuichi answered breathlessly, jumping up. "You can help with the song!"_

_ "Ryuichi!" K snarled, hitting his accomplice in the leg. He was still trying to keep Yuki's blood pressure within a manageable range. Judging by the purple tint to his face, it was a lost cause. _

_ "NO SONG!" Yuki roared, his head feeling like it was going to explode. He couldn't remember being this angry._

_ "But…" Ryuichi stammered, the tears welling up._

_ "NO!"_

_ "Alright, this is getting out of hand…" K muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "Time for Plan Zeta…"_

_ K cleared his throat, snapped his fingers, and everything went quiet. Yuki was trussed up like a Christmas goose, glaring at anyone that he could lay eyes on. Ryuichi was sitting on the ground, half of Kuma shoved in his mouth. K dusted his hands together and chuckled, pleased with his results. _

_ "Let's get this show on the road!" K shouted, getting worked up._

_ "How? We don't have a ride." Yuki spat, his eyes closed to prevent the twitching in his left eye._

_ "Alright, Captain Pissy, I guess I'll do everything…" K sighed. He thought for a moment, then snapped. A large elephant appeared in the clearing, decked out in silks and topped with a large box. "Happy now?"_

_ "No." _

_ "Whatever." K returned, glaring at Yuki. "Come on Ryuichi, Kuma, let's go." _

_ Ryuichi hopped after K, and the latter used some more magic to get Yuki onto his long-nosed transport. Shuichi started to trail after the trio, but then everything started to get foggy again. He felt a pulling sensation, and the clearing was gone. _

* * *

Yuki hated sleepless nights, unless of course they were filled with certain activities. He sighed and rolled over again, desperately trying to sleep. Beside him, Shuichi snored lightly, a small smile still in place. Yuki groaned and glared at his lover, highly jealous of his ability to fall asleep almost instantaneously.

Tiredness was absolutely not an issue; he was exhausted. Shuichi was much too needy. The nagging feeling that he'd had earlier was still bothering him. He couldn't fathom why he'd felt so claustrophobic when Shuichi had said that he was happy as long as he was there. He tried to attribute the crushing sensation to guilt, but he'd felt that plenty of times; this was different.

When he'd talked with K about his future plans, he'd felt no remorse, no guilt, nothing. But when he'd heard Shuichi say those words and when he'd seen his face, there'd been tightness in his chest that he'd never felt. He hadn't been able to catch his breath, and he'd felt so lightheaded that he could barely think. When he held Shuichi, it all went away, and he wished he knew why.

A pesky voice in his head was giving him its two cents, but he refused to accept that option. It was ludicrous, it was unfathomable, and he vowed to adamantly resist that explanation. Based on stories that he'd heard from others, namely Ryuichi talking about his feelings for Kuma, the evil explanation fit perfectly, except for the fact that he was entirely adverse to it. His symptoms, the solution for them, and one of his inner voices were telling him that he was in love.

"Absolutely not!" Yuki exclaimed a little louder than he had planned. He tended to get worked up over things like feelings. He hated having them, and, as far as he was concerned, they were unnecessary. Shuichi rolled onto his chest and nuzzled into his neck at the noise. Yuki's heart immediately slowed and he could breathe easier. "Dammit."

He held Shuichi tighter and sighed, failing to come up with any other option. Maybe the voice was right, maybe he was in love.

"That doesn't change anything…" Yuki muttered, thinking back to what he'd told K. He would still disappear, he'd still leave. He couldn't stay here forever, he didn't want that, even with his new realization.

He looked down at Shuichi's sleeping face and felt a familiar feeling for once; extreme guilt. He was going to break his heart all over again, and this time he wouldn't be coming back to fix it. He shook his head to clear out the disturbing images of Shuichi's crying face that were flitting across it.

"This can't be happening…" Yuki whispered. It was extremely shocking to him that he was capable of such a feeling.

He'd learned to be tough a long time ago, even before Ryuichi had come into the picture. He'd been alone since he was a kid, and he always knew that he would be damaged goods when he got older. Shuichi had blindsided him; he had never expected that he'd meet someone like him.

His actions toward Shuichi had shocked him, too. With previous lovers, he'd never felt the need to stay after, he'd never wanted to hold onto them longer than necessary. They had never meant anything to him, and he felt bad admitting it, but it was completely true. Shuichi was the first one that he'd wanted to keep, even though he knew he was leaving soon.

As set against this new reality as he was, he still couldn't help feeling relieved. He'd been trying to explain his going soft to himself for quite a while, and he was glad to know it wouldn't be permanent. At least he had K and Ryuichi around to keep him slightly sour. He hated how Shuichi could melt him with one look, with one kiss, and he was eager to get away from that dangerous side-effect. If Ryuichi, or worse, K, were to catch on, he was forever doomed.

He took a deep breath and let it go, telling himself that it would all work out in the end. He'd leave, and these feelings would abandon him just as he was abandoning Shuichi. The guilt started to tear at his stomach when he looked at Shuichi again, but he ignored it and settled in to sleep. His mind felt refreshingly clear now that he had an explanation for all the changes that had been happening without his approval.

He'd been asleep for fifteen minutes when he was jarred awake by Shuichi.

"NOO!" Shuichi screamed, sitting straight up, his eyes wide in terror.

Yuki raised his eyebrows and looked up at Shuichi, waiting for the inevitable answer. He knew him well enough by now to know that he'd be explaining his nightmare in play-by-play format until he felt sure that he could handle it; Ryuichi did the same exact thing almost nightly.

"I'm so sorry…" Shuichi whispered, turning to face Yuki. He shook his head and crumpled back down to the bed, folding himself partially on top of Yuki. He hugged him as hard as he could and stayed there.

"Why?" Yuki asked quietly, slightly afraid.

"They could've killed you…" Shuichi said, thinking back to his horrific dream.

"Who's they?" Yuki asked, immediately thinking of Ryuichi and K. Knowing Shuichi, though, it could just as easily be the boogeyman or a horde of butterflies.

"Ryuichi and K! And Kuma!" Shuichi answered, still slightly panicked. The dream had been really realistic.

"Of course…" Yuki muttered. He settled back into his pillows and sighed. "What did they do this time?"

"They turned you into a Prince!"

"They what?" Yuki asked, remembering the horrific experience.

"They made you wear…all kinds of horrible things! And…there was a flamingo!" Shuichi said in a quick breath, trying to remember all the details. They were fading fast.

"What was its name?" Yuki asked, serious.

"What was what's name, Yuki?"

"The flamingo!" Yuki said a bit more loudly than planned.

"Umm…"

"Think man!"

"I'm trying!" Shuichi replied, sitting up and putting his head between his knees. "It was…PHILLIPE!"

"How the hell did you know that?" Yuki asked immediately, shocked. It was the same name of the flamingo that K had conjured back in the oasis.

"Because that's what K called him…?" Shuichi offered, not sure what to say.

"What else do you remember about it?" Yuki replied, wondering if the name was a coincidence.

Shuichi spent the next half an hour giving Yuki a full account of his dream. Yuki's eyes were wide with shock by the end of it; Shuichi had just recounted, scene perfect, the horrible experience of his princely transformation at the hands of K and Ryuichi.

"And that was the long dream I had…" Shuichi mused, flopping back onto his pillow.

"Damn…" Yuki muttered. He couldn't fathom how Shuichi knew all the intimate details of K and Ryuichi's master plan. "Did Ryuichi or K tell you this story?"

"No…" Shuichi said slowly, pondering his day. The only story he remembered was the one that Kuma had supposedly told him. "Kuma did though."

"Kuma?"

"Yeah, Ryuichi said that he did. I couldn't hear anything, he's too quiet."

Yuki sighed and put a hand over his eyes. One of his worst fears had been realized; Ryuichi and Shuichi were the same. They were both too hyper, too excitable, and they both talked to a stuffed pink rabbit with a bowtie. Before he let himself get too concerned, he took a deep breath and analyzed the situation.

Shuichi and Ryuichi weren't the same person, they were just very similar. Yuki tried to pull some obvious differences out of his jumbled head, but the shock of hearing Shuichi's dream had practically finished his thinking abilities off. After some fruitless minutes, he finally told himself that Shuichi's hair wasn't turning brown and called it good.

"What's wrong?" Shuichi asked, rolling over and draping himself across Yuki's chest. He'd gotten bored after a while, but Yuki had looked like he was in pain so Shuichi had let him be.

"I'm pretty sure you have a mind-link with either the rabbit or Ryuichi…now I'm trying to decide which one is worse." Yuki answered in a dead tone, still slightly detached from the conversation. He couldn't figure out how to protect his Shuichi from the maniacal influence of Ryuichi and his number one cohort.

"Mind…link…?" Shuichi queried, obviously confused.

"Don't worry about it, I'll fix it."

"Ok!" Shuichi answered brightly, immediately putting the dream behind him. He kissed Yuki lightly and flipped back over, burrowing into his pillow like a sleep-deprived conure. Within two minutes, some light snoring issued from where Yuki guessed his head was.

Yuki rolled onto his stomach and faced Shuichi's sleeping form, wondering if he'd ever get used to him. As he started to fall asleep, the thought that he wouldn't need to get used to Shuichi crossed his mind; he'd be leaving much too soon for that. He reached out a hand towards Shuichi, but let it fall. He had to stick to his decision; it was what was best for everyone. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to block out the enormous wave of guilt that had suddenly descended on him once again.

* * *

So that dream scene was waaaay longer than I wanted it to be…once I got started it just kinda flowed out and didn't stop. I had to corral myself at some point, so here it is. I couldn't find a nice way to make the chapter shorter, and I didn't want to split up Shuichi's dream, sorry for the extra-long chapter.

Hope you enjoyed,

Amaya


	26. Chapter 21

The sun burst through the large windows of the Prince's room, casting some light on the inhabitants. Yuki buried his face into his bedclothes to hide from the unwanted sunlight and sighed. He'd been awake all night, unable to sleep. He kept worrying about his feelings that were developing for the one lying next to him all night, finding himself unable to come to terms with his earlier conclusion. Even in the times when his overtaxed mind couldn't pull up any more points to mull over, it nagged him about Shuichi's new connection to Ryuichi.

He groaned and flipped over, deciding that it was time to get up and do something instead of tossing and turning in bed. Besides, he still needed to concoct a fix for protecting Shuichi's head from his less-than-stable cohort.

He hoisted himself out of the comfy bed and meandered over to Shuichi's monstrous closet. He poked his head in, concerned about booby traps, and then slid in. He rummaged around in some dresser drawers and through the hangers, but he couldn't find anything that would suit his plan. He was about to give up when he found the dresser responsible for keeping Shuichi's pants and matching sashes organized. He grabbed a silvery ribbon sash and ducked back out the closet, eager to be out. It was a freak show with four walls in there.

Yuki walked over to the balcony and glanced out, squinting at the shockingly bright light. Cinda was up early this morning, tearing up any remaining tree trunks and throwing rocks at any guard foolish enough to attempt a patrol in the area. Yuki sighed and shook his head. It was strange how perfect Cinda and Shuichi were for one another. He'd never have picked an elephant for Shuichi's best friend.

He turned around to avoid the continuously glaring sun and his eyes fell on Shuichi. It was hard not to stare at him, he looked so beautifully ridiculous. Even if a person had no attachment to him whatsoever, Yuki figured that they'd still be drawn to him. He had that kind of personality. Plus, one couldn't help but be intrigued by the hair. No one in their right mind would wear it like that. Yuki smiled at that thought; of course he wasn't in his right mind.

Yuki crossed the room and sat down next to Shuichi. He started stroking his soft hair, admiring the way it seemed to fit his face. He stayed there for a while, watching Shuichi sleep, his mind blank and completely without worry. He moved to kiss Shuichi's exposed ear, and the sash in his hand reminded him of his mission to protect his lover. He shook Shuichi lightly, trying to wrench him out of dream world, but he had no luck.

"Shuichi? Come on, wake up…" Yuki murmured, leaning in to whisper. When he got no response, he nuzzled his neck, trying to elicit some sort of reaction. Shuichi moaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over his head.

"Leave…alone…me…" Shuichi grumbled, not taking too kindly to the idea of waking up before the crack of noon. He was capable of it, but it required some mental effort.

"No, we need to work on our anti-rabbit effort, get up."

"Uh uh."

Yuki groaned and ran a hand through his messy hair. Shuichi could be very frustrating when he wanted to. Yuki gave up his verbal attack and instead picked up Shuichi and shook off his covers.

"No! Put me down!" Shuichi squalled, keeping his eyes tightly shut against the light. He threw his arms around Yuki's neck to prevent himself from falling, and hid his face in his shoulder.

"Not yet…" Yuki answered. He carried Shuichi to the balcony and dumped him on the floor, counting on the sun to finish him off. It was brighter than ever.

"It burns!" Shuichi screamed, curling up in the fetal position and rolling around on the stone floor.

"Come off it already…" Yuki muttered, shaking his head at the flailing moron.

Shuichi continued to flop around like a fish out of water for about five minutes while Yuki watched from inside the room. Eventually he stopped rolling around and stayed flat on his back, glaring for all he was worth at his smug lover.

"Damn you…" Shuichi hissed, sitting up and crawling towards the door to his bedroom.

"Don't be such a drama queen…" Yuki told him from a safe distance, feeling a little bit unnerved by the look in his eyes.

Shuichi muttered something incomprehensible and pulled himself into his bed, intent on returning to his slumber.

"I'll throw you out there again."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I wouldn't?" Yuki asked, raising his eyebrows in a questioning way. He smirked when Shuichi glared at him, and reentered the room.

"You're supposed to listen to me…" Shuichi whined, airing out his pouty attitude to see if that worked on Yuki. The latter merely shook his head and sat down on the bed next to Shuichi. "I'm the Prince."

"So am I, remember?"

"Yeah, but you're fake."

"Yeah, but no one else knows that." Yuki returned, smirking again. "This could go on forever, and as much as I love the stimulating conversation…"

For once in his life Shuichi noticed the sarcasm in Yuki's voice and hit him over the head with a large pillow.

"Ouch!" Yuki squalled, slightly surprised that any blow dealt by Shuichi could actually cause pain.

"That's what you get." Shuichi said, crossing his arms and nodding his head once.

"Not sure you're worth protecting now…" Yuki said quietly, rubbing his head.

Shuichi's eyes widened and he immediately adopted a worried look; he'd forgotten all about the dream. He latched onto Yuki, their squabble pushed out of his thoughts by concern for his mental safety.

"Don't let him eat my brain, Yuki!" Shuichi screamed, right into Yuki's ear.

"Alright, alright, get off, he's not going to eat your brain…" Yuki retorted, wincing in pain. He attempted to pry Shuichi off of his neck and only succeeded in making Shuichi tighten his grip. He could hear his pulse in his head and his eyes felt fuzzy around the edges.

"I don't want to get eaten!" Shuichi screamed, jumping into Yuki's lap and maintaining his iron grip on Yuki's neck.

"Shuichi…" Yuki sputtered, unable to draw breath. "Get the hell off…"

"But he'll eat me, Yuki!"

Yuki groaned, incapable of a retort involving speech. He tried to twist around to make Shuichi break his grip, but the lack of oxygen was affecting his motor skills in a negative fashion. The room started to spin, and before he could make another move, he toppled off of the bed unconscious.

* * *

"Bird!" Tohma hissed, aiming a slap at Caspian. "You have to be quiet!"

He and Caspian were situated outside of Shuichi's door, waiting for their ill-fated target to emerge. Prince Eiri hadn't been in his suite, so Tohma guessed that he was with Shuichi. They'd been camped outside of his door for two hours, listening intently to what was happening inside. So far, it'd been pretty quiet, minus the screaming that had just started up. Tohma thought he heard something about someone eating someone else's brain, but he wasn't sure. Knowing the Prince, anything was possible.

"Speak for yourself loudmouth…" Caspian muttered, ruffling up his feathers and glaring at Tohma.

Tohma opened his mouth to retort, but a loud 'thump' from behind the door captured his limited attention.

"What the hell was that?" Tohma said in a whisper, more to himself than the conure sitting on his head.

"Why don't you go in and see? I'm sure they'd both be thrilled if you popped in for a visit." Caspian answered, snickering. It was his job to be the lookout, but he was having too much fun tormenting his owner.

"That's it, you're on your own from now on." Tohma spat, knocking Caspian off of his head and stomping down the hall. "Don't screw this up."

"Don't screw this up." Caspian mocked, donning a haughty air and a high-pitched voice.

Tohma muttered something incomprehensible and stomped off down the hallway, throwing a little hissy fit. He'd put up with Caspian's antics all last night and into the morning due to their planning session. They'd come up with a wide array of measures to use against the fake prince, and Tohma felt sure that he'd be dead by the end of the of week, if not the day. True, leaving Caspian on his own after the conveyor belt fiasco was risky, but the bird seemed pretty eager to repair the damage from his one and only mistake.

Tohma rounded the next few corners lost in thought. He had every possible outcome mapped out in his head. If Caspian failed in this attempt, they had limited time to eliminate their target. Tohma shook his head vigorously, clearing his head of all worries. They had a massive amount of violent ideas stock-piled, and they could use any one of them to end the pesky faker. Tohma shook his head again and hopped down the stairs towards his office. While Caspian was busy attempting murder, he was going to clean up the office and organize their battle plans. If he had time, he thought it'd be nice to have a cup of tea and a small nap. After all, waiting on your bloodthirsty conure to kill and dismember a street rat could be rather exhausting.

* * *

"Yuki?" Shuichi asked softly, wiping Yuki's face with a damp cloth. "You're not dead are you?"

Shuichi continued to dab at Yuki's forehead for a while before he really started to get concerned. He'd been out for fifteen minutes and hadn't moved an inch.

"Not again…" Shuichi muttered, thinking back to the other times that Yuki had died on him.

"Mmm?" Yuki murmured, opening one eye. He was lying on Shuichi's bed and was surrounded by endless heaps of pillows. He opened his other eye and looked around, wondering what was going on. When he looked up and saw Shuichi sitting on his stomach, it all came rushing back to him. He remembered the stranglehold and the ensuing lack of oxygen and groaned. Shuichi cocked his head at the noise and Yuki glared at him.

"What?" Shuichi asked, head still sideways.

"You could've killed me, that's what." Yuki responded, an edge to his voice.

"But you've already died a couple times…" Shuichi answered, not sensing the danger that he was in.

"Not for real."

"It was real to me."

"At this point in time, you don't matter." Yuki replied, trying to sit up to dislodge himself from the pink-haired murderer. He wriggled around for a while, but Shuichi was a lot heavier than he looked. "Let me up brat."

"Nope. Not until you take it back." Shuichi said, returning Yuki's glare. "I matter."

Yuki was quiet for a bit, refusing to let Shuichi win any kind of argument. He squirmed around some more and Shuichi leaned forward, pinning his shoulders to make sure that he didn't go anywhere. Yuki crossed his arms and stared up at the glaring Shuichi for a while, content to keep this up for as long as necessary. It wasn't like he was dying to get back to K and Ryuichi anytime soon.

He figured that Shuichi would crack sooner rather than later. He had a pretty short attention span, and Yuki didn't think that he was the type to hold onto petty things like this for very long.

Thirty minutes later, however, he was rethinking his hypothesis. Shuichi was still sitting on him, and he hadn't budged an inch. His nails were digging into Yuki's shoulder and the glare had intensified by the minute. Yuki was slightly worried about his lover's blood pressure at this point. His eyes weren't twitching, but they were narrowed into catlike slits and a vein in his forehead was pulsating out of control. Yuki sighed and decided that he should probably surrender before medics were needed.

He glanced to his left and looked around for the sash that he'd procured earlier. It was buried under the ridiculous amount of pillows on the bed, and only a small corner of it was visible to the naked eye. Yuki snatched at it and pulled it onto his stomach. Shuichi took this as a sign of an impending attack and snorted. He released Yuki's shoulders and then slammed them back into the bed with a few incomprehensible mutterings.

"NO."

"No what?" Yuki asked, slightly afraid. He'd never had reason to really fear Shuichi, but now he definitely was. He hoped that Ryuichi could survive on his own, because there was a steadily increasing chance that he wouldn't be leaving this room alive.

"NO."

Yuki merely nodded, aware that Shuichi was most likely incapable of a decent conversation at this point; his face was starting to turn an ugly shade of plum. Yuki fiddled around with the sash for a while, trying to determine the safest course of action. If he showed some concern for Shuichi's continued mental safety, maybe he'd let him live. He moved his gaze from the ribbon-like belt to Shuichi's face and decided that he'd better move fast, as his scalp was turning blood red. Yuki had never seen anyone turn such interesting colors.

"Shuichi?" Yuki asked nervously, not wanting to set Shuichi off when he had no way of escaping the carnage.

Shuichi ground his teeth together and shook his head. He mouthed the word 'apologize' and returned to his silent vigil.

"Fine. Just hold still."

Yuki threw the sash over the top of Shuichi's head and when the latter loosened his grip, Yuki sat up as best he could and situated the silky material. He tied it at the back of Shuichi's head and then flopped back onto the bed. Shuichi was still sitting on him, but he was no longer holding Yuki down.

"There. You're safe now." Yuki told Shuichi, worried about what was going to happen next.

"And?"

"And I suppose you matter…a little bit." Yuki said with a small smile.

Shuichi smiled back and kissed Yuki gently, putting his hands on either side of Yuki's head.

"Don't start with me…" Yuki whispered, kissing Shuichi's chin and trying to roll away.

"I'm not done with you." Shuichi returned, wondering how far he could go without Yuki tossing him off of the balcony. He didn't seem like he was the passive type, but Shuichi figured he'd be worth the risk.

"Excuse me?" Yuki queried, even more concerned than he was before. It felt like he was looking in a mirror. He'd never seen Shuichi look like this, and he found himself suddenly wishing that he was the one sitting on the other.

"I think you heard me…" Shuichi said quietly. He kissed Yuki again and then moved down to his neck, thoroughly enjoying himself. He started unbuttoning Yuki's shirt, undoing his own with his free hand.

"I have places to be…" Yuki said quickly, sitting up as fast as he could in a desperate attempt to extricate himself from Shuichi's clutches. No one had ever turned the tables on him quite like this and he wasn't sure if he entirely appreciated the way things were going.

"You sure?" Shuichi asked, wrapping his legs around Yuki's waist and kissing his collar bone.

"No…" Yuki answered, thinking that he could reverse the situation rather easily at this point.

"Then stay a while." Shuichi ordered, leaning into Yuki and kissing him again, all the while pushing him back down onto the fluffy bed.

He ran his lips along the edge of Yuki's cheek, from his chin to his ear, and back again. Every time he got within an inch of Yuki's earlobe, the older man sucked in his breath and stopped moving entirely, and Shuichi guessed that he'd found his one weak spot. He kissed Yuki again to keep him distracted and then kissed his ear faster than greased lighting. Yuki screamed and sent Shuichi flying backwards off of the bed. He toppled feet over head and landed in a tangled heap on the floor.

"What the hell was that for?!" Yuki yelled, one hand clapped over his ear. "Never do that again, never, never, ever again…"

Shuichi was too busy laughing to reply, and it took him several minutes to be in any shape to talk. He'd never heard anyone scream like that, let alone Yuki. He finally hoisted himself back onto the bed and sat next to Yuki. He giggled a few more times, but overall, he kept himself pretty contained.

"Completely uncalled for…" Yuki said through gritted teeth and clenched jaw.

"I'm sorry…" Shuichi gasped, his lungs still tired after his fit of laughter. The sash had slid down to his neck and he re-adjusted it while Yuki seethed next to him. He was almost entirely distracted by the gorgeous thief sitting next to him, but he still had room in his conscious to worry about possible Ryuichi infiltrations.

"I highly doubt that."

"Then I'll have to make it up to you." Shuichi said in a more suggestive tone than usual. He figured that Yuki must be influencing his personality.

"Rain check." Yuki interjected, wondering why Shuichi had morphed into him.

"Not a chance." Shuichi replied, now channeling his inner Yuki. He was really enjoying the note of panic in Yuki's voice, even though he didn't have any idea of what he was supposed to be doing.

Shuichi crawled into Yuki's lap and kissed him again, wrapping his arms around his neck. He finished his earlier task of unbuttoning his shirt and threw it off, working on Yuki's as he went. When his mission was accomplished, he started to kiss Yuki's neck again, this time moving down his chest.

"Alright, fine, have it your way." Yuki said, deciding that his was better than nothing. Shuichi could be quite persuasive when he wanted to be.

Shuichi smiled and kissed Yuki harder than before, pushing him back into the pillows. He thought about his next move, and paused.

"Need an instruction manual?" Yuki asked sarcastically, stroking Shuichi's face with a few fingers.

Shuichi pursed his lips his lips and puffed up, ready to start glaring again. Then he caught sight of Yuki's ear and changed gears. He reached out a finger and started inching it towards Yuki's exposed ear.

"I'll be quiet, I promise, don't do that again…" Yuki said in a high-pitched voice.

"Good." Shuichi replied, deciding on his course of action.

* * *

Well, kids, this is chapter is an excellent example of what happens when you listen to Adam Lambert on repeat while writing. I meant to update on Friday, but I didn't realize that I had a chapter ready to go until today. Gold star…

Anyway, enjoy.

-Amaya


	27. Chapter 22

Out in the hallway, Caspian's preparations were going exactly according to plan. He'd strewn his own feathers all over the floor and was perched on top of a tall pillar, waiting for his prey to emerge. He'd heard some wild screams earlier, and now he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on. Every once in a while, he'd hear something that he wished he hadn't.

He sighed and ruffled up, tired of waiting. Tohma had threatened him with his life last night if he screwed up again, and Caspian wasn't eager to take him up on his offer. He stayed where he was, waiting to unroll his next master plan.

* * *

"Damn…" Shuichi said aloud, stretching out and putting his arms behind his head. Next to him, Yuki was half-asleep on his side, mumbling something every once in a while.

He rolled over and stroked Yuki's back, scooting up to him and kissing the back of his shoulder. He slung an arm around over his waist and kissed his shoulder again, waiting for some kind of response.

"Un uh. Back off." Yuki said quietly on an exhale. He maneuvered himself onto his back and pulled Shuichi onto his chest. "Just calm down…"

"Can't."

"Try harder."

"Okay!"

"Not that, moron."

"Oh…"

Yuki kissed Shuichi's forehead and settled into the pillow, planning on catching a few extra hours of sleep.

"What're you doing?" Shuichi asked after approximately seventeen seconds of silence.

"Attempting to sleep."

"I thought I was the one that was supposed to be tired…"

"Then why aren't you?"

"Dunno." Shuichi chirped, pulling himself all the way onto Yuki's chest and stomach.

Yuki raised an eyebrow and looked down his nose at Shuichi.

"You can sleep." Shuichi said, snuggling into Yuki's neck with a contented sigh.

"I'm not sure I trust you not to molest me."

"I'll behave."

"I can guarantee that I won't return the favor if you don't." Yuki replied, trusting that it would take Shuichi a decent amount of time to figure out what he'd just said. He'd be sound asleep by the time his overenthusiastic lover had any idea what he'd just said.

Five minutes later, Yuki was asleep and Shuichi was still trying to determine if he had permission to do naughty things. He stayed where he was on Yuki, resting his chin on Yuki's sternum. He got bored fast, and his mind started to wander. It'd given up trying to un-jumble Yuki's words and had moved onto greener pastures. Shuichi turned his head so that he was looking out at his balcony, and a few memories came back to him.

He remembered seeing Hiro there the night he'd met Yuki, and he could remember the booby traps that he and his friend had set up the morning they'd terrorized Mika. Before he knew what was happening, he could feel the tears running down his face. He knew that he missed Hiro, but he hadn't realized how much. He'd been too distracted by Yuki's return from the dead to think about anyone else, even Hiro.

He tried to stay quiet, but all he could do now was think of Hiro and how alone he felt without him. Sure, he had Yuki, but Hiro had been his first friend. No one had ever wanted to be his friend for him, only for his title, or money, or because they felt obligated to. Hiro'd been real, he'd been there for him, and he'd wanted to stay even after seeing how crazy he could be. When he felt like he couldn't keep it together any longer, he woke up the one person that he had left.

"Yuki?"

"Mmm?" Yuki replied, awake. He'd woken up when Shuichi had started crying, as if some sort of bat signal had gone off in the vicinity.

"I miss Hiro."

"Who?" Yuki asked without thinking. "Oh…the other one."

"He's more than that…" Shuichi answered, slightly taken aback.

"He was."

"Stop it…" Shuichi said through his sniffles. He stared at Yuki, thinking that some sort of alien had taken him over. Last time he'd cried in front of him, he'd been so nice. Now he was just being heartless, almost like he didn't care. "He was my friend."

"I'm sorry?" Yuki responded in a blasé tone, not sure how to handle the situation. On the one hand, Hiro was Shuichi's friend, but on the other, he was Yuki's competition. If he paid his absence too much attention, Shuichi might focus a little too much on his absent friend.

"He was important to me…" Shuichi murmured, getting off of Yuki and sitting on one side of his bed. He swung his legs off and got up, walking over to his balcony rather quickly. "He's my best friend."

"Then why did you let Mika run him off?" Yuki questioned, feeling insecure. He knew that Shuichi was crazy about him, that was obvious, but Hiro only gave Shuichi up because Mika had made him, and Yuki had the distinct feeling that Shuichi could've eventually been persuaded. The Sultana hadn't bothered to hide the fact that she preferred him, and that Hiro wouldn't be staying. He'd only brought it up to perturb Shuichi. His jealously had clearly gained control of his vocal cords.

"I didn't!" Shuichi yelled, his grief turning into anger in a split second. He was internally glad that his normal mood swings had returned. "She made him leave because of you!"

"And you're sad about that?" Yuki asked bitingly, trying to pinpoint where Shuichi's favor really lie. He couldn't stand the thought of losing Shuichi to outside forces. He was fine with leaving him, but he refused to be left. He got off of the bed and stretched, leaning against a bedpost when he was done.

"I am now." Shuichi retorted, narrowing his eyes. He hadn't thought it was possible to think anything negative about Yuki, but here it was; the anger was overwhelming. He was belittling Hiro, and Yuki seemed genuinely glad that he was gone, no matter how much pain it caused him.

Yuki stopped himself before he made any more mistakes. Shuichi looked like he was actually upset and Yuki didn't want to mess this up, no matter how miffed he felt about Shuichi's Hiro attachment. He took a few deep breaths, attempting to push all the jealous anxiety out.

"Just try to see it from my point of view." Yuki said finally, thinking that if Shuichi saw his dislike of Hiro stemming from a place of apparent love, than he'd forget that he was mad and go back to being in his happy Yuki-induced daze.

"No! See it from mine!" Shuichi shouted, tears streaming down his face. He'd been this angry before, but never at Yuki. He hadn't thought it was possible, and he'd had no idea that he was that attached to Hiro. In the back of his mind, a little voice kept telling him to calm down before he ruined everything, but he couldn't swallow his feelings. "He's my only friend! He's the only one that really cares about me!"

"What the hell? I trekked halfway across a fucking desert, get locked in a cave with Ryuichi, almost get killed by a mad genie, just to see you and that's what I get?" Yuki yelled back, his insecurities about Hiro getting the better of his temper.

"If you cared, you'd understand how I feel." Shuichi spat, his hands balled into fists at his side. He knew that he loved Yuki, that he'd never wanted anyone else, but he found himself missing Hiro just as much as he'd missed Yuki. He didn't have the guilt constantly weighing on his mind, though he felt the hole his heart.

"I do care, Shuichi, that's why I'm here, you dumbass." Yuki countered, feeling cornered. No matter what he said, he had the feeling that Shuichi was just going to get angrier. Hiro was apparently a sensitive subject.

"Get out." Shuichi said suddenly, pointing to his door and looking away from Yuki. He needed some time to think, and he didn't want Yuki there distracting him. He didn't want to get angrier, and he didn't want to just smooth this over with sex.

"What?" Yuki sputtered, more than a little surprised. He'd never thought that things could go this wrong. "You actually want me to leave?"

Shuichi sighed and marched across the room, throwing his door open. It smashed into the wall with a loud 'bang', and if the two combatants had been paying more attention, then the bird-like muttering that followed would not have gone unnoticed.

"Go." Shuichi ordered, turning his back on Yuki and striding into his closet. He waited until he was all the way inside to unleash the tears that he was barely holding back.

Yuki stared after him for a few beats, but when he heard footsteps coming back out of the large closet, he made a break for it. Shuichi looked like he could pack quite a punch when he was this mad, and Yuki didn't want it to escalate to that point. If he lost his temper, he had no idea what he was capable of doing, even to Shuichi.

He quietly shut the door behind him and started walking down the long hallway, unsure of how to feel. Part of him wanted to be angry with Shuichi for having such strong feelings for someone else, but that same part was also shouting that that didn't matter; he was leaving soon anyway. It didn't matter how Shuichi felt about anyone else, and hell, it was probably a good thing. This way he wouldn't be totally abandoned. Yuki sighed; this was for the best. If the fighting kept up, it would be so much easier to walk away without looking back.

The other part of him was livid with himself. It couldn't believe that he'd let things get that out of control. He knew that Shuichi was crazy about him, and that Hiro was only a friend. He'd seen Shuichi with Hiro, the way that he looked at his friend, and it was completely different from how Shuichi looked at him. Shuichi had never considered Hiro more than a friend, though the other was not so innocent. If anything, Yuki's mind kept telling him, he should have lashed out at Hiro, not his adorable lover.

Yuki sighed, stopping and leaning against a wall. He felt awful. He'd never had a fight end like this, and he'd never had someone to fight with before. Whenever he'd had fights with Ryuichi, he'd just waited for him to come back. He always had, and Yuki had no experience with things like this. On top of that, he had no idea which part of his head was right. He couldn't decide if he wanted to be angry with Shuichi, with himself, or happy that this had happened. He was avoiding settling on the latter, though he knew it was the most logical. If he was leaving anyway, Shuichi might as well have a chance to be happy. He groaned and pushed off of the wall, not paying attention to anything around him. He was too caught up in his own personal tragedy to think about anything else.

When he suddenly slipped and face planted into the marble floor, he snapped out of his reverie. He looked around and noticed that he entire place was covered in feathers. He gulped and stood up as fast as he could, slipping a few times on the feathers.

"Caspian?" he called out, hoping against hope that the bird didn't answer. He looked over his shoulder at Shuichi's closed door, but decided that he'd rather face the conure than the Prince.

"ATTACK!" Caspian yelled in response, diving off of his column and landing on Yuki's head.

Yuki spun on the spot, trying to dislodge the parrot, but it was too late. Caspian had wrapped his talons into Yuki's hair and was holding on for dear life. Yuki started swatting his head, trying to hit the bird. He finally made contact, and Caspian sunk his beak into Yuki's palm, drawing some blood. Yuki cried out, waving his hand like a maniac. Caspian just tightened his bloody grip and used his clawed feet to get a better position.

The bird held on to the fleshy hand and released Yuki's hair, trying to find a way to get closer to the jugular. He couldn't fail this time; Tohma would never let him hear the end of it. He relinquished his hold on Yuki's streaming hand hopped onto his shoulder, making a beeline for his neck.

"NO!" Yuki roared, grabbing the parrot in mid-run. "My turn."

"Release me, you fool!" Caspian squawked, attempting to make contact with Yuki's fingers.

"I don't think so." Yuki replied, shifting his hand so that Caspian couldn't get a decent bite in. "You're coming with me."

Yuki set off down the hallway again, murderous conure in hand, and his quarrel with Shuichi practically forgotten. His thirst for revenge had replaced all thoughts of jealously and auburn-haired upstarts named Nakano.

When he was around the corner from his suite, everything changed; two guards were on a patrol, and they'd spotted him before he could hide the blabbering parrot.

"Umm…sir?" one of them said timidly. "That's a wanted bird you're holding…"

"He attacked me, I'm handling this." Yuki answered, drawing himself up to his full height. He stood half a head over the tallest of the two, and he figured that that would help his cause. He cleared his throat authoritatively and tried to sidestep them.

"We have direct orders from the Sultana to apprehend the feathered suspect in your clutches…"

"No, that's not necessary, I can handle things from here." Yuki said quickly, perfectly aware that once Caspian was with the guards he'd be free. Even if Mika had issued a real warrant for his arrest, Tohma would find a way to get him back or the bird would resort to violence. No matter what, he had to keep the bird or the attacks would continue.

"I'm sorry, majesty, but we have to take him with us." One of the guards said in a calm voice, noticing the panicked look in Yuki's eyes. His partner held up a small iron cage and showed it to Yuki, for reassurance. "Don't worry, we'll make sure he doesn't get loose."

"Yeah right…" Yuki muttered, reviewing his options. He could run, but they would catch him rather quickly. He could only find his way to his room and Shuichi's without help. He could also try to lock himself into his suite, but he was sure that they had a master key somewhere or the ability to break down the door. He sighed resignedly and handed them the now-cackling conure. "Just kill it."

"HEY!" Caspian screeched, taking a swipe with his beak at Yuki's fingers. "I'm not an it!"

"That's enough, calm down you." The guard holding Caspian told him, trying to keep the peace. Plus, he'd heard horror stories about Caspian and knew that you had to head him off before he got worked up if you wanted to live out the remainder of your life with all your limbs intact.

"Never!" Caspian yelled, taking a chunk out of the guard's thumb. Yuki started backing up, ready to run for it if needed.

"Dammit!" the guard cursed, dropping the bird before his comrade could get the little cage open.

"Freedom! Fish!" Caspian sang, sailing down the hallway and out of reach. "This isn't over!"

"You should've let me finish him off." Yuki spat at the guards, not at all happy. "Good job."

With that, he stormed past the guards and into his suite, slamming the door behind him.

"What the hell happened to you?" K asked immediately, noticing the blood dripping steadily from Yuki's torn hand.

"Conure."

"Ah."

"Chicken?" Ryuichi piped up, taking his best guess at what a conure was.

"A green one." Yuki answered, not in the mood to deal with Ryuichi. He figured going along with him would end the conversation sooner.

"That breathes fire and eats stuffed rabbits." K added, thrilled with himself.

"KUMA!" Ryuichi bellowed, running out of the main room and into his room, slamming the door behind him. He'd left Kuma alone so that he could nap, but now that a rabbit-eating green monster was on the loose, he wasn't going to let him out of his sight.

"Okay, now that he's gone…" K said, getting off of a couch and walking up to Yuki. Yuki backed up a step and stared up at K, his antics from the previous night flooding back into his brain.

"It's not like he's completely innocent…" Yuki explained quietly, searching for a reprieve from the beating he was sure he was about to get.

Before he could finish his thought, K smacked him upside the head and walked away muttering.

"If only genies could kill…"

"What?" Yuki asked, massaging his assaulted face. "And I told you to stop hitting me!"

"Then stop molesting the teenager!"

"He's not a teenager!"

"Nine-TEEN!"

"He's an adult, a consenting one, trust me."

"You filthy, little…"

"I'm NOT little."

"Hmph."

"Just ask Shuichi." Yuki threw at K before he could stop himself. He took one startled glance at K and flinched, waiting for the pain.

"Enough, enough." K said, falling onto a couch and covering his eyes. "You're obviously incorrigible."

"Yeah…" Yuki said slowly, unsure of how to read K. He was still feeling off after the fight with Shuichi.

"You don't bring it up, I won't bring it up, just call it good." K told Yuki. He'd done some thinking last night and realized that it wasn't worth the effort. Yuki was always going to be a dirty pervert, and Shuichi's purity was definitely long gone by now.

"Deal."

"Did the bird come after you again or something?" K offered, changing the subject.

"Yeah, he ambushed me outside of Shuichi's room." Yuki answered, draping himself across an armchair and wiping the blood off of his hand with a cloth that K had thrown him.

"That's not good." K said, running a hand through his hair. He'd hoped that Tohma and Caspian would at least take a few days off.

"Tell me about it."

"YUKI!" Ryuichi screamed, bursting back into the main room with Kuma tied to his head. "THE CONURE'S GONNA GET ME!"

"Not now…" Yuki muttered, avoiding looking at Ryuichi. He was painfully reminded of Shuichi.

"UH HUH! HE'S GONNA GET KUMA!" Ryuichi yelled back, catapulting himself into Yuki's lap and attaching instantly.

"Get off." Yuki ordered, shoving Ryuichi as hard as he could. When nothing happened, he sighed and stood up. Ryuichi maintained his hold on Yuki's neck and waist and refused to give up.

"But you're supposed to protect us…" Ryuichi said softly to Yuki, looking up at his face. "You said…"

"That was years ago, don't bring it up again." Yuki said quickly, glaring preemptively at K.

"But…" Ryuichi stammered, the tears welling up in his eyes. He was genuinely scared of Caspian eating his best bunny friend.

"Ryuichi…" Yuki sighed, looking down at his accomplice. As soon as their eyes met, all Yuki could see was Shuichi's face with the same tears in his eyes.

"Please…" Ryuichi cried, tightening his grip on Yuki's neck and burrowing into his collar bone. "I don't want Kuma to get hurt."

"He won't, you'll be fine. Stay with K." Yuki told Ryuichi, trying to undo his intertwined fingers from behind his neck. As soon as he'd heard Ryuichi use that tone, he known what he needed to do. He couldn't leave things with Shuichi like that. He couldn't let him hurt that much and walk away. When he left, he only wanted to take happy memories of Shuichi with him. He didn't want this hanging over his head. He had to go back and it had to be now, before Shuichi made him leave for good. "I have to go see someone, I'll be back. K will keep you safe."

"Yeah, I'll take care of it." K reassured Ryuichi, pulling a rocket launcher out of thin air. He could tell that something was really bothering Yuki, but he knew enough not to get involved. He'd learned fast over the last few days.

"Okay…" Ryuichi consented, releasing Yuki and waddling over to K with Kuma swaying precariously on top of his head.

"I'll be back later." Yuki told K over his shoulder as he walked over to the door.

"You have a time estimate?" K asked Yuki, looking worried. Ryuichi was attached to his waist.

"Probably this evening."

"That long? It's noon!" K squalled, using the rocket launched to separate Ryuichi from his midsection.

"Yeah, that long." Yuki replied, shutting the door behind him. If things went well, then he'd probably be gone longer. If not, he'd need some time to think before he told K that he'd ruined his magical scheme. "Have fun."

Yuki checked the hall for signs of the crazed parrot or his master and then set out for Shuichi's room. He went over what he was going to say, and made sure that he had it memorized. If Shuichi turned on him, he had to control himself, no matter what. He figured that if he went in with something prepared, he'd have a better chance of controlling himself. Letting his temper do the talking wasn't working out too well for him.

He was halfway there when he realized that what he had to say wasn't going to be good enough. If he wanted to have any chance at redemption, he was going to have to think this through. He backtracked to a larger hallway and followed it, hoping it would lead him somewhere where he could think without being disturbed by his roommates or feathered demons, man and bird alike.

* * *

Ah, back to the crazy conure. I have too much fun when Caspian gets involved, especially if I'm jamming to Adam Lambert at the same time. Have fun with this one guys. And oh my, two updates in less than a week…skeery.

-Amaya


	28. Chapter 23

"He dead?" Tohma asked casually as Caspian came careening into the office.

"Unfortunately, no." Caspian responded, alighting on his cage.

"What?" Tohma said, rolling off the couch in surprise. "What happened this time?"

"He fought back…I took a good slice out of his hand though. I'd probably be dead if he hadn't run into a patrol unit."

"Dead?" Tohma queried, incredulously. "It was that serious?"

"Yeah, he seemed pissed. He fought me pretty hard and he was taking me to his suite when the guards showed up and tried to arrest me. They didn't stand a chance though." Caspian explained after getting a long drink of water.

"I'm surprised that Mika hasn't rescinded the arrest warrant yet…that doesn't bode well, we need to move on with Plan B immediately." Tohma said hurriedly as he stood up and jogged over to a cupboard. "I'll get the vegetables."

"I'll get the stick."

"It's go time."

* * *

After twenty minutes of quiet time, Yuki was ready. He had his sentences lined out word for word, and he knew that he would be able to control himself. He had to make this work for Shuichi's sake, and he kept repeating that in his head, trying to make it stay there. If he messed up again, then it was over.  
He power-walked through the palace, anxious to see Shuichi again and to get this over with. The faster the better, before his well-chosen words slipped away. When he came around the corner into Shuichi's hallway, he stopped short, startled at what he saw in front of him. In the middle of the grandiose hallway a wooden box was propped up using a stick. Underneath the box, a carrot was lying on the floor, a string tied around it's middle.

"What the hell?" Yuki whispered, spinning around in place.

He looked up and down the hallway, wondering if the box was the only thing out of place. He had no doubt in his mind that Tohma and Caspian were responsible for his, but he had no idea what it was supposed to accomplish. The box wasn't even big enough to hold him. He sighed and started walking towards Shuichi's room, deciding that it was best to ignore the obvious trap in favor of winning back his lover.  
He stepped past the box, but images of Caspian's attack kept flashing into his head. He groaned and looked over his shoulder at the box; it was too tempting. He reached in and grabbed the carrot, intending on following the string to either the crazed parrot or the devilish vizier. He tugged on the string a few times, and before he could follow the trail, it tugged back. He pulled harder, convinced that he beat the genius responsible for the box ploy in a simple tug-of-war. After five minutes of yanking, Yuki switched things up. After all, he didn't have all day to play pull-the-carrot ; he had a Prince to win back.  
He gave final pull and then released the string, bounding after it as soon as it left his fingers. The string raced down the hallway and then slacked, and Yuki saw the carrot slide behind a large stone pillar. Yuki slowed, peering down the hallway to see who was holding the string. When nothing happened for a few beats, Yuki started edging forward, intent on finding his moronic attacker. He reached the pillar and paused, unsure of what to do. He could charge, or he could wait for them to do it. He was about to peek around the pillar when a lime green blur smacked him in the face.

"Meet your doom!" Tohma screeched, leaping out from his hidey hole and striking a victory pose.

Yuki flailed around, trying to untangle the boa from his neck and face. He stumbled around the hallway blindly, hoping that he didn't run into the featherless Tohma. At least, he told himself, he couldn't hear any parroty cackling. He wasn't really too concerned about a solo Tohma attack.  
He finally succeeded in freeing himself from the boa's feathered clutches and threw it at the gloating Tohma. The latter had refrained from attacking while Yuki was blind, wanting to savor the kill.

"Well, well, well…" Tohma began, eager to unload his victory spiel.

"Just shut up." Yuki seethed, rolling up his fancy sleeves and advancing on Tohma, the murderous glint returning to his eyes.

"Um, wait, I'm calling the shots here…" Tohma stammered, wishing he'd brought more than his faulty magic to finish off Yuki. He'd practiced the spell while Caspian brainstormed, and he was pretty sure that it would work, but he needed Yuki to hold still.

"I don't think so. You've crossed the line, you and your damned parrot are finished." Yuki said, continuing to advance.

"Stay back!"

"Don't count on it."

"I'm armed, I'm warning you!" Tohma yelled, brandishing the carrot that he'd used to lure in Yuki.

"It's a vegetable, you fruit."

"It's pointy!" Tohma said as he danced in place, waving the carrot in Yuki's face.

Yuki sighed and snatched the carrot away from Tohma, finding himself again wondering why he was surrounded by idiots.

"Hey…be careful…that could put somebody's eye out…" Tohma warned, putting his hands up and backing away. If he got out of Yuki's reach, he could run for it and hopefully find some guards to protect him. Yuki stepped with him, raising the carrot as he went. "OWW!"

Yuki started to ferociously beat Tohma with the carrot, snarling with each hit. Tohma shielded his face with his hands, trying to run away. To prevent this, Yuki grabbed his high collar and held him down, all the while whacking at him with the now-disheveled carrot.  
Tohma started to squeal after several minutes of beating, and started clawing at his captor to secure his release.

"Fight like a man!" Yuki yelled, feeling unhinged.

"You're staining my clothes!"

"What the hell is this?" a voice rang down the hallway, halting the Tohma beating.

"Oh great…" Tohma sighed.

"Shuichi?" Yuki asked, recognizing the voice and stance. He dropped Tohma, and the vizier crumpled in a heap on the slick floor.

"What's going on?" Shuichi asked, walking slowly forward, afraid of what he was going to find. He'd been contemplating what to do about Yuki when he'd heard the scuffle outside his door.

"Death by carrot." Yuki answered, attempting to amuse Shuichi. His face was pallid and his eyes were red and swollen. He was obviously still upset.

"What?" Shuichi asked, confused. He moved closer to Yuki and Tohma and then saw the slightly bloodied carrot in Yuki's hand. "Oh…"

Tohma stayed where he was on the floor, watching the exchange happening between Yuki and Shuichi cautiously. If he timed it just right, he thought he might have a chance to escape. Dying due to carroty impalement was not on his to-do list for the day.

Yuki opened his mouth to speak, but Shuichi raised a hand and silenced him.

"I still don't get it…" Shuichi told Yuki, gesturing from Tohma to the carrot. He avoided Yuki's eyes, not wanting to set off the waterworks again. He'd been crying non-stop since the street rat had left. Shuichi was convinced that Yuki wouldn't be coming back after the way he'd treated him. He couldn't believe that he'd thrown him out, or gotten so upset over Hiro. Sure, Hiro was his best friend, but Yuki was so much more than that to him.

"Tohma tried to kill me again." Yuki answered concisely, abandoning his hopes of fixing things here. He'd have to wait until Tohma was taken care of. He glanced down to check on Tohma, curious if he should grab a hold of him again. When he looked, however, the patch of floor previously occupied by the vizier was empty. "Dammit…"

"Nice one." Shuichi shot, smiling slightly. Yuki looked like his face was going to implode. "You're supposed to tie him up, something like that."

"Not the time…" Yuki muttered, looking up in time to see Tohma's coat whip around a corner.

"Good luck with that, then." Shuichi said, eyeing the carrot that Yuki was still holding onto. He took a deep breath and turned around, steeling himself. He refused to make a scene here, he couldn't.

"Shuichi, wait, I need –"

"I'M SORRY!" Shuichi screamed suddenly, throwing himself at Yuki. "I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry, please don't leave, I hate Hiro!"

"What?" Yuki asked, startled. He dropped the beating carrot and hugged Shuichi to him, more than slightly concerned.

"I was so stupid…" Shuichi started to say, but Yuki cut him off before he could finish.

"Just stop." Yuki said, silencing Shuichi. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I know you miss Hiro, and I know he was important to you…I just…"

Yuki paused, unsure of how to proceed. He's memorized his lines perfectly, but now he didn't think they fit. He'd planned on trying to win over an angry Shuichi, one intent on destroying his existence. He'd never expected an apologetic one.

"I'm sorry that I said you didn't care…I know you do." Shuichi said quietly, looking up at Yuki and hugging him tighter.

"Good." Yuki replied simply, deciding to save his mush diatribe for another time. He kissed Shuichi's head and returned the hug, feeling instantly lighter on the inside. He couldn't believe it'd been that easy. He was secretly glad for Shuichi's changeable moods.

"Now what are you gonna do?" Shuichi chirped, breaking away from Yuki and dancing around the hallway. He got tangled up in the string a few times, and eventually tripped on the carrot, face planting into the hard floor of the hall. "I'm alright…"

"You're a mess, you know that?" Yuki told Shuichi, bending down to help him up. He needed to get him untied before he started acting on all of the wonderful ideas that were playing tag through his brain.

"Yep!" Shuichi agreed, hopping up before Yuki had sufficient time to untie him. He bounced in place, thrilled to have Yuki back.

"Shuichi…"

"Yeah?" Shuichi asked innocently, completely oblivious to the look on Yuki's face. He started shrugging out of the rope, but Yuki's hands stopped him.

"Let's not do anything rash…" Yuki said suggestively, grabbing the ends of the rope and dragging Shuichi slowly towards his room.

"What's a rash, Yuki?" Shuichi questioned brightly before Yuki shut the door to the room with a soft click.

Yuki tied the rope to one of the bedposts, and watched Shuichi flop onto his monstrous bed. The younger man giggled and rolled around like a strung up goose, smiling like a maniac. Yuki sighed and stared at Shuichi, wondering how so much gone so wrong could be so adorably stupid.

"Caspian, get the band aids." Tohma said as he walked into his office. He was covered in carrot-shaped bruises, and Yuki had gouged his arm in one place. Not to mention the orange stains that now plagued his garments.

"He get you too?" Caspian inquired, popping his head out of one of his food bowls. When he noticed the orange stains on Tohma, he had to use all of his self-control not to laugh out loud.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I told you the carrot-in-the-box ploy wouldn't work." Caspian quipped, flying over to the medicine cupboard and digging around for a bandage. Tohma's arm injury was dripping blood onto the floor at a steady rate.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it!" Tohma yelled at his parrot, his ego mortally wounded. He'd never gotten beaten up with a veggie before, and he never wanted it to happen again. "I did everything right…"

"Walk me through it."

"I put the box in the hall, I propped it up on a stick, I tied the string around the carrot, I-" Tohma answered before the bird's snorts of laughter interrupted him.

"You tied the string around the carrot?" Caspian asked incredulously, thinking to himself that only Tohma could foul up such an easy ploy. "You do know you're supposed to tie the string around the stick, right?"

"What?" Tohma asked weakly. "Seriously? I thought you were supposed to use the carrot to lure them to you…"

"No, you use the carrot to get them to the box and then you pull the stick out to trap them under the box." Caspian explained, using his patient teacher voice to pacify the teary-eyed Tohma. "You should sleep more."

"Damn it all…" Tohma muttered. He felt like such a fool for losing Yuki, not to mention his fatal mistake involving the tying of the string. If he'd only had the presence of mind to do it right; maybe they'd have the street rat in custody.

"We need to finish him off, Tohma, before he reports us to the Sultana." Caspian told Tohma as he dropped a bandage on his head. "Here."

"I highly doubt he'll go to the Sultana…" Tohma mused, slapping the band aid on. "I mean, he's seen me, so I assume that he assumes that Mika let me loose. He saw her arrest me."

"But he could think that you escaped."

"He doesn't give me that much credit."

"Good point, you don't deserve any…"

"Hey!" Tohma screeched, throwing a shoe at Caspian, who had alighted on his cage. The parrot dodged and started throwing some food in response. Tohma sighed and put his hands up, ending the fight. "Listen, we don't have time for this. We need to focus, we need to end him."

"We can't just keep rushing in like this, Tohma." Caspian interjected, flapping over to their plotting notes. "We need some more time to really think these through, we need to watch him and pick a good time to strike. We need to drug him or something, he's too strong…"

Tohma was quiet while Caspian rambled, lost in his own thoughts. The bird was right; they needed more time. Sure, they'd had plenty of time to draw out their plans, but carrying them out was an entirely different matter. He sighed and balled his hands into fists, resolving to finish this mess. He hated the look that Caspian was giving him, he hated feeling like a failure, and he absolutely could not stand the thought of that smug impersonator strutting around, still alive and with his lamp.

"You're right…we need to take things slow, but this needs to get done. If he decides to go to Mika, she'll have our heads. She still won't believe me about him having the lamp." Tohma finally said, joining Caspian in looking at the notes. "Plus, this way we'll lure him into a false sense of security, make him think he's safe, that sort of thing."

"Or he'll end up paranoid." Caspian inserted.

"Either way, it works for us."

"True story."

"Then we're agreed?"

"Sure thing cap-i-tan." Caspian said while saluting with a foot.

Tohma smiled and stroked his boa, looking very pleased. When he and Caspian took the time to do things right, they never went wrong.

* * *

Sorry that the chapter is shorter than usual, but I had to break it off here, you'll see. Well, I hope everyone's having a grand ol' time, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. I know I don't say it enough, so I'll say it now; thank you so much for all of the reviews. I really appreciate them, and I'm glad that you guys enjoy what I'm churning out over on this end. See you next time.

-Amaya

Also, sorry if the formatting is crazy, I had to copy and paste the new content into an old upload and then try to space it out right because site still won't let me upload my new chapter. . Grr.


	29. Chapter 24

Yuki loved waking up in the palace, he loved falling asleep with Shuichi in his arms, he loved the finery, the decorations, the lifestyle, he loved everything about his new home. On top of all that, he was pretty sure that he loved Shuichi.

He'd been living in the palace for a month, content as long as he was with Shuichi. He'd moved his small collection of belongings to Shuichi's room three weeks ago after he'd tired of K and Ryuichi's incessant teasing. K hadn't agreed to lay off the fun, just the lectures.

Tohma and Caspian had been mysteriously absent, but as long as they kept to themselves, Yuki could care less. After the carrot escapade, he'd carried the lamp with him at all times, ready to unleash K next time either of the buffoons tried any funny business. He wished that Mika would pull the same card and disappear for a bit, but she'd kept up her constant nagging as soon as she found out that he was living with Shuichi. Yuki's stomach tightened at the thought, and he tried to think of other things. After five minutes of trying, he gave up and tried to resolve the problem.

He'd been rethinking his decision to leave for a while now, unsure if he would be able to. He'd become very dependent on Shuichi, and he knew that the prince was even more attached to him. He'd never had anyone like Shuichi in his life before, and Yuki was thrilled with the way that it made him feel. He felt like someone understood him, even if that person couldn't string an intelligent sentence together without some deep thinking. No matter Shuichi's brainpower, or lack thereof, Yuki was falling for him, hard.  
Whenever he thought of leaving, he started to get light-headed and had to change his mental subject. All he had to do was look at Shuichi's face and he immediately knew that it was going to kill the childlike man if he left. Yuki groaned and rolled over, wishing that this could be easier. If he stayed, Mika would force them to get married, and he had never wanted that and would never want that, no matter how much he adored the person sleeping in his arms. If he left, however, it would kill Shuichi, and Yuki wasn't sure if he could put his lover through that. It'd hurt him enough when Hiro left, and Hiro had just been his friend.

He looked down at Shuichi's face and sighed; it shouldn't have to be this way. He tore his eyes away and looked out the large window to the balcony. The early morning light was just starting to break, and Yuki knew that he had at least a few hours to himself before Shuichi woke up. He guessed it was around six or seven, and Shuichi rarely even opened his eyes before ten.

He kissed his forehead and rolled him off of his chest, thinking that a walk might help him clear his head. He got out of the bed and shrugged into his shirt. He buttoned it as he walked towards the door, trying hard to be quiet. If he woke up Shuichi, someone might get hurt. The sun wasn't even up yet.

He slid through the doorway and closed the door behind him quietly. When he turned around to begin his traversing of the palace, he came face-to-nose with K.

"K?" Yuki asked quietly, making sure that Shuichi's door was shut. "What the hell do you want?"

"Just popping in."

"It's six in the morning."

"Oh? Is it?" K asked innocently, smiling widely at Yuki.

"What do you want?" Yuki asked resignedly, secretly glad that he'd met K before the genie had barged in and woken up Shuichi.

"As of today, we've been here a month. We need to talk about your last wish." K told Yuki, pulling out a clipboard. He flipped through the pages and clicked his tongue several times. "According to my paperwork, you have indeed used two, on somewhat frivolous items, might I add."

Yuki crossed his arms and glared at K, holding back his responses until he was ready to unleash them. He'd hardly seen K lately, as he'd been spending as much time as he could away from him and Ryuichi and with Shuichi. He cleared his throat and channeled his inner attitude before replying.

"You're the one that picked the first wish, dumbass."

"That's the best you can do? Wow, you've mellowed." K observed, smiling at Yuki again. He tapped the slightly shorter man on the head with the clipboard and started to walk away, trusting that Yuki would follow him. "Technically, Ryuichi picked that wish."

"And saving my life wasn't a frivolous order." Yuki said, jogging to catch up with K. He ignored the Ryuichi part, already aware of his treachery.

"Well, maybe not to you…" K said, enjoying the look on Yuki's face. It'd been too long.

"Just spit it out, K." Yuki commanded, looking at the empty halls with longing. He needed to clear his head, and his crazed genie giving him wishing lectures was not going to help.

"Basically, you need to hurry up and wish me free. I'm getting sick of being stuck in a room with Ryuichi all day. It's cramping my style."

"Tell me about it…" Yuki murmured, remembering life on the streets with Ryuichi and his favorite pink friend.

"Well, OK, I'm glad you want to listen!" K exclaimed, conjuring up a chair and a couch, shoving Yuki into the first.

"I wasn't serious!" Yuki squalled, trying to sit up. K pulled out his gun and pressed it into Yuki's temple, shaking his head slowly.

"Sit." K ordered, poking Yuki in the head with his gun a few times. "He's constantly screaming about something, or he's dancing around with Kuma, and when he gets bored with that…well, he tries to get me involved. I just can't take it, the rug thinks it's hilarious, and don't get me wrong, Ryuichi and I have had some great fun playing pranks on the guards and booby-trapping Tohma's office, but enough is enough."

Yuki sighed and looked at the blissfully quiet halls again, wondering if he could outrun K. He was only half-listening to K's rant as his other half was busy being occupied with exit strategizing. He glanced over at K, who was lounging on the comfy couch with his eyes closed. If he was quick enough, it just might work.

"I think I might be able to handle him day-to-day if I had more sleep, but he's always coming into the room in the middle of the night, and you know how loud he is, it's like he's incapable of ever shutting up. He had to narrate every step, it's so annoying. I'm lying there at three in the morning, snoozing, and I hear him and that damn rabbit come bursting in-"

"Wait, three in the morning? Ryuichi has an eighteen-hour minimum sleep requirement." Yuki stated, his curiosity about his old roommate getting the better of him.

"Not anymore…he's always out gallivanting with that Tatsuha."

"What?" Yuki asked, his stomach plummeting. If Ryuichi had told Tatsuha anything about the prince lie, he was through.

"Yeah, apparently they're bosom buddies these days." K answered, sighing dramatically. "He never has time for me anymore."

Yuki rolled his eyes, vowing to question Ryuichi immediately. He was beyond concerned. He thought back over their previous conversations, trying to remember if he'd ever talked to Ryuichi about Tatsuha. He furrowed his brow, suddenly wishing that he paid more attention to Ryuichi's conversation.

"Don't boil your brain, you made it his mission not to tattle." K reassured Yuki, glaring at him from the couch. This was supposed to be about him and he was being completely ignored by his unwilling therapist.

"Oh, right…" Yuki mumbled, miffed that K had him figured out. He'd never said that he was concerned about Ryuichi's gum flapping.

"Anyway, back to my terrible Ryuichi issues…" K continued, closing his eyes again.

Yuki groaned and looked around helplessly. K had the gun sitting on his lap, and Yuki had the sneaking suspicion that he would be shot the second his feet hit the ground. He leaned back, craning his neck over the back of the chair, and almost flipped himself over; Caspian was positioned directly behind him, dancing a little jig.

"BIRD!" Yuki yelled, snapping his head forward and catapulting out of the chair. The feathered fiend was much too close for comfort. "CONURE! PARROT DEVIL!"

"What?" K asked, startled. He sat up and looked over Yuki's chair. When his eyes fell on the still-dancing bird, he grabbed his gun and cocked it.

Yuki saw K get up and took it as a sign of attack. He charged Caspian, knocking over the chair in the process. K stopped to pick it up, clicking his tongue and grumbling. He sighed and started jogging after Yuki, wondering if things would ever be normal here. Sure, Caspian was a threat, but Yuki was clearly overreacting to the green maniac's presence.

"Yuki, not so fast!" K called after Yuki, starting to get worried. Caspian wasn't flying for all he was worth, he was yelling, nothing. K stopped and cocked his head, suspicious. He watched Caspian's retreat, which consisted of some frenzied scuttling and horrendous name calling, and it dawned on him. "EIRI, FREEZE!"

Yuki slammed on the brakes when he heard the accursed name and spun around to face K.

"WHAT?" Yuki yelled, taking off his shoe and hurtling it at Caspian. "He's getting away, help me out here!"

"It's a trap!"

"Bullshit!"

"Use your head, think man!"

Yuki sighed angrily and started chasing Caspian again, intent on capturing the murderous nuisance. He rounded a few corners, leaving K out of sight. He could hear Caspian's claws clattering on the stone floor, and he followed the red tail whipping around columns for several more minutes until they reached a very large hallway that was lavishly over-decorated. He stopped, a little taken aback. It was the last place that he'd expected Caspian to run, given that the Sultana's room was just down the hall.

"That all you got, pretty boy?" Caspian taunted, hopping around down the hall. He started dancing again, thoroughly enjoying himself. "La la la…"

Yuki shook his head and started walking towards the bird again with images of a victorious apprehension floating around his mind. He sped up as he got closer, completely focused on the dancing parrot.

"That's right…just a bit closer…" Caspian whispered to himself, watching Yuki's progress. He started doing his version of an Irish river dance and called Yuki a few choice words. The street rat was dangerously close to the trap, and as long as he didn't look down, everything would be fine.

Caspian and his babysitter had spent all night preparing their trap, and their progress was slow until Tohma sneezed and blew a hole into the floor with his inadvertent magic. The hole was located dead center in the middle of the elegant hallway, and Tohma and Caspian had less-than-brilliantly attempted to hide it by covering it with dried up palm leaves.

The bottom of the pit was full of sharpened sticks and several spears and swords. It'd been one of Caspian's favorite ideas due to the high probability of impalement. Once Yuki was shish-kabobed properly, Tohma could use the spell he'd been planning to unleash during the carrot fiasco.

"Wait…" Yuki said suddenly, looking closer at what he'd originally thought to be a very ugly rug. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the supposed rug was actually dried out leaves. "Really? You actually thought I'd fall for this?"

"Nope." Tohma replied, appearing behind Yuki and giving him a solid shove. The street rat toppled forward, plummeting through the ill-devised cover and into the spear-lined pit.

"Oh, you fell for it! Literally!" Caspian sang out, twittering around and laughing. He'd been saving the line for days and had decided to ignore Tohma's assistance.

"Owww…" Yuki groaned, rolling over onto his back. He'd miraculously missed all the points, but they'd cut him up pretty good. He had a serious gash in his side, and his legs were covered in scratches. His arms bore a few defensive wounds, and one of the shorter of the sharpened sticks had cut one of his cheeks open.

"Eiri?" K called, his voice echoing through the halls. Now that they were close to civilization, he had to keep up the prince ruse.

"Dammit!" Tohma muttered, stomping to the edge of the pit and rolling up his sleeves. "Better make this quick. Hold still down there!"

Yuki groaned again in response and tried to stop the bleeding in his side. He glared up at Tohma and showed off a few hand gestures to get his point across.

"Tohma, hurry it up! That genie's coming!" Caspian screeched, flapping over to Tohma's head.

"Eiri! Answer me!" K ordered frantically, running around the corner and almost crashing into Tohma and Caspian.

"AHHHH!" Tohma screamed, running towards the pit and turning to face K. Caspian swayed ominously on his head but ultimately kept his footing.

"Where's my prince?" K questioned Tohma, walking up to him and grabbing the front of his shirt. He shook him a few times for added emphasis.

"K…?" Yuki called, sitting up and holding his side.

K peeked over Tohma's shoulder and saw the horribly constructed spear pit.

"Seriously…?" K asked, shaking his head. "You didn't see that?"

"He pushed me in!" Yuki yelled, wincing at the pain in his side.

"Sure, sure…" K muttered, leaning back and eyeing Tohma suspiciously. "I have a few things to take care of up here, then we'll talk.

"Whatever…" Yuki replied, lying down again.

"Ma-ma-maybe later…" Tohma stuttered, trying to remove K's fingers from his shirt.

"No, I think we'll handle this now." K replied curtly, tightening his grip and swinging Tohma away from the pit. "You tried to kill him again, boys…I think it's time to end this."

"NEVER!" Tohma yelled, sinking his teeth into K's hand. Caspian flew down onto the genie's shoulder, helping the effort by assaulting K's ears and neck.

"ARGH!" K screamed, dropping Tohma to free his hands for Caspian swatting. As soon as he released Tohma, the vizier ran for it, careening down the hallway with Caspian close behind. "Damn!"

"What happened?" Yuki asked loudly, unable to see what was going on. "They get you too?"

"They wish." K answered. "No, they bit me."

"They?"

"Shut it."

"Pretty sure Tohma's rabid. Might want to check into that." Yuki told K, hoisting himself up and grabbing his side to keep the bleeding in check.

"Thanks for the helpful advice. See you later then." K said as he leaned over the edge of the pit and gave Yuki a little finger wave.

"HEY!" Yuki yelled at K. He'd been counting on the genie to help him out as the pit was at least seven feet deep.

"You rang?" K asked, peeking over the edge.

"Get me out!"

"Say please."

"No."

"Well, captain crabby, afraid that I can't help you."

"I'm not crabby, I'm stuck!" Yuki retorted angrily, grabbing a spear and hurtling it at K's smug face.

"No personal attacks sourpuss. Not my fault you fell into a hole dug by a guy that's a hump short of a camel."

"Damn you, K, get me out!" Yuki ordered, throwing another spear at his insolent genie.

"Nah, you're not being very nice."

"NOW!"

"Nope."

"K."

"Eiri."

"Technically, you have to listen to me…"

"Not unless you use a wish, and just for that, I'm really leaving." K spat, turning on his heel and stomping down the hallway. He hid behind a large potted plant, waiting for Yuki to get himself out. It'd be fun to ambush him now that he was on the lookout for Tohma and Caspian.

Yuki spent the next ten minutes yelling at K and cursing the vizier and his chatty helper. He eventually collapsed, the pain in his side becoming unbearable. He held the wound and looked up, hoping to see K peering down at him. He stayed there for a while, gathering the energy to carry-out his escape.

"Dammit…" Yuki whispered, wincing again. He stood up shakily and leaned against one of the walls in the pit for support.

He shook his head and exhaled sharply, psyching himself up for his grand escape. He laid a hold of a spear and shoved it point-first into the wall in front of him, making sure that it would stay put. He repeated this with about five more spears, each higher than the last. When his make-shift ladder was as high as he could make it, he started climbing up, using the spears to keep his balance.

He reached the edge of the pit after some serious effort, much cursing, and a few animal noises, barely managing to pull himself out of it.

"You alright over there?" K shouted to Yuki, slightly concerned. He'd never heard a human make such horrible sounds.

He got no response, and decided that he'd better go check on the doomed street rat. Besides, he was getting tired of waiting. Crouching behind the plant had put him in a foul mood, and he was feeling more impatient by the second. Sure, it'd be fun to ambush Yuki, but he couldn't wait for the next century to turn. He had a to-do list after all.

"Eiri?" K inquired, meandering back to the spear pit. "You didn't fall back in, did you?"

K reached the spear pit a few minutes later, and he was really starting to feel the burn of curiosity. He was internally grateful that he wasn't a cat.

"Come on now, this isn't funny. You jump out at me and I'm throwing you back in. There will be fire involved." K told the echoing hallways. He paused, waiting for Yuki to either come out or yell something back, but the silence was overpowering. "Alright, I warned you."

K pulled out his gun and jumped around the corner, expecting to find the street rat in ambush mode. Instead, Yuki was sprawled next to the edge of the pit and he wasn't moving.

"Great…" K muttered, putting the gun away and walking over to the bloody and bruised street rat. "Why do I always have to save you?"

K picked up Yuki and threw him over his shoulder, trying to decide where to take him. Shuichi's room was closer, but he didn't want to have to deal with a panicked prince. He was much too similar to Ryuichi, and K didn't think he had the energy. On the other hand, Ryuichi had captured his medical supplies a week ago to play 'doctor' with Tatsuha, and K was sure that he'd want to help fix up Yuki. K groaned and set off for Shuichi's room, thinking that he could always muzzle him and tether him to the balcony.

They made good time, and K was partially upset that they didn't run into Tohma or Caspian. He was in the mood for some fun, and he didn't have the heart to torture Yuki when he was in this kind of shape. He approached Shuichi's door and rapped on it a few times, trying to rouse the younger prince. He was pretty sure that he'd still be asleep as this hour, and he didn't want to have to break down the door. He knocked a few more times, the noise escalating with each hit, but there was no sign of movement from within.

"This is your fault, you know…" K muttered to Yuki. He dropped the wounded street rat on the floor and backed up a few feet. He didn't want to use excessive force, but the door looked like it could really take a hit. "Here goes nothing."

K closed his eyes and charged the door, intent on breaking it down, completely forgetting that he was an all-powerful genie. He bounced off and landed with a loud 'thud' on the floor. He massaged his back and glared at the door, willing it to open. When it actually did, he screamed and fell backward, shielding his face from the possessed door.

"Oh, right…" K said, clearing his throat and trying to sound manly.

He picked up Yuki again and carried him into the room, slinging him down on the bed when he reached it. Shuichi mumbled something about an apocalypse and zombies and rolled over. K shook his head and ignored him, glad that he was such a late sleeper.

"Boom boom…everybody…dead…" Shuichi muttered, the noise from K's door assault clearly affecting his dream.

"Somebody's special…" K whispered, rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoning Yuki's bloody shirt.

He conjured up some antiseptic and started cleaning the gash in Yuki's side. Yuki groaned a little bit and tried to roll away, but K held him in place. On the other side of the bed, Shuichi yelled something about brains being eaten and started kicking out as hard as he could. K ran over and tried to hold him down, wanting to prevent any more Yuki damage.

"NOOO! DON'T EAT MY BRAIN!" Shuichi shrieked, pulling away from K and flopping onto Yuki. When he made contact with another body, his eyes snapped open and then widened with fear. "ZOMBIE!"

Shuichi pushed off of Yuki as hard as he could, convinced that he was a zombie from his dreams. His hair was matted, he skin was pallid, and the blood from his various cuts and scrapes was smeared over his clothes and exposed skin.

"ZOMBIE! UNDEAD!" Shuichi yelled again, scrambling to get out of the bed.

"Calm down man!" K ordered, grabbing Shuichi's shoulders and slapping him across the face. "Breathe!"

"Breathe? No zombies?" Shuichi asked in his five year-old voice, pointing at Yuki's sleeping form.

"No zombies. Just a Yuki."

"Yuki?" Shuichi repeated, something inside his head snapping into action. "Eiri?"

"Great…" K muttered, putting a hand over his eyes. He couldn't tell which freak out would be worse: Shuichi discovering a zombie in his bed, or finding a half-dead Yuki in its place.

"Why aren't you helping him?" Shuichi inquired, standing up on the bed to tower over K. "Huh? That's your job, so do it."

"Sorry…?"

"Now, move it!" Shuichi commanded, pointing to Yuki and glaring down at K.

"Yes, sir!" K responded, saluting Shuichi and marching back to his charge. He'd never seen Shuichi use his authority, and it was a little bit scary. He knew he was the Prince, sure, but this was the last thing he'd expected out of him after the zombie chaos.

Shuichi watched K return to his task of repairing Yuki and, once satisfied with his progress, flopped back onto his bed with a resigned sigh. He scooted over to Yuki's head and positioned it in his lap, content to take care of his lover while genie tended to his wounds.

"What happened?" Shuichi asked quietly, stroking Yuki's hair. He ran his fingers through it to smooth it out, loving the opportunity to do what he wanted without Yuki protesting.

"Caspian and Tohma again." K replied, finishing the cleaning. He summoned a surgical needle and thread to begin the stitches, beyond glad that Yuki was still out. He knew things would be ugly if he tried to sew him up while awake. "They seem to be escalating things."

"What was it?"

"A spear pit in the middle of the Sultana's hallway."

"That's stepping it up?" Shuichi replied dryly, rubbing Yuki's shoulders subconsciously.

"Apparently. It might of worked if they'd had more spears. Tohma pushed him in and it's a miracle that he didn't get impaled."

"Impaled?" Shuichi queried, looking at K sideways. While he stared at the tall genie, he failed to control his fingers and grazed one of Yuki's earlobes.

"Hey!" Yuki squalled, sitting up and smacking Shuichi in the jaw with his head. When he saw K holding a needle and thread, he yelled again and tried to make a run for it. Instead, he merely toppled out of the bed and face-planted, his eyes still unfocused from his semi-comatose state.

"Now, now, that was unnecessary. I'm a very good seamstress." K informed Yuki, dragging him back to the bed, as the latter was resisting with all of his available strength.

"Sorry Yuki…" Shuichi murmured, massaging his banged chin.

"Whatever." Yuki responded as K shoved him back into the bed. "You're the enemy now."

"Just trying to help." Shuichi chirped, closing his eyes so that he didn't have to see the horrendous glare that Yuki was giving him.

"Be nice, you." K told Yuki, brandishing the needle.

Yuki sighed and rolled his eyes, steeling himself for what was coming next. He could feel the stinging around the gash in his side, and he was really wishing that images of stitches would stop dancing around in his head. He'd rather be oblivious to what horrors K was preparing to inflict upon him.

"Alright, take a deep breath..." K advised Yuki. "And you, hold his head."

"Righto." Shuichi acknowledged, gingerly grabbing Yuki's head and rubbing his temples in an attempt to keep him pacified.

"Don't look Ethel." K said dramatically, threading the needle and bending down over the wound.

* * *

"That's it!" Tohma yelled, slamming the office door behind him. "That damn street rat!"

"Would you watch what you're slamming?" Caspian sniped at Tohma, wrenching his tail out of the door jamb. Tohma had slammed his boa in the door too, but he had yet to notice.

"I'm just so…so…" Tohma said exasperatedly, falling into his spinney chair. He moved to touch his boa for comfort, and started mouthing incoherent words to Caspian.

"So many possibilities…" Caspian choked out, the various adjectives that he could finish Tohma's thought with driving him mad. When he looked up and saw Tohma's face, he sighed and retrieved the boa for him, unwilling to deal with a Tohma tantrum on top of everything else. "You're such a baby…"

"Not now." Tohma said seriously, stroking his boa and regaining some sense of sanity.

"Yeah…" Caspian agreed, noting the look on Tohma's face. Even with the boa back in his possession, the fire was gone and it was starting to get replaced with despair. "Listen, we can't give up that easily, we still have most of the notebook left to work with…"

"We're running out of time, Casp." Tohma said, grabbing his hair with both hands and putting his forehead on the cool wood of his desk.

"But we have to keep trying. If we just cease our efforts, Mika won't have any reason to keep us around." Caspian told Tohma, wondering how to spur him into action. Usually Mika threats worked, but he seemed a little far gone for that. He flew over to his cage, thinking that a nice bath might get the ideas flowing.

"That doesn't matter…he seemed pretty hurt after that tumble, there's no way he's not going to tell Mika as soon as that genie…wait." Tohma stopped suddenly, standing up and smiling at Caspian.

"Tohma…" Caspian hissed, hunkering down in his cage. It was never good when Tohma's moods switched that fast.

"It's so obvious…" Tohma muttered, a strange glow starting to consume his eyes.

"Tohma." Caspian said louder, trying to snap Tohma out of anything rash.

"The genie, I have to get the genie…"

"No, Tohma, he's invincible, you can't get him." Caspian articulated clearly, stamping on Tohma's crazed idea. "You'll get killed."

"Why didn't I think of this before?" Tohma asked no one in particular, talking to the coat rack in the corner.

"Because it's a terrible idea." Caspian answered, flying over to Tohma and landing on his head. He grabbed some of his hair and hung upside down in front of his face, trying desperately to distract him. If Tohma died, Mika would have him stuffed and fried within ten minutes.

"No it's not…" Tohma said with a manic smile spreading across his porcelain face. He patted Caspian on the back and strode towards the office door, looking more than slightly unhinged. "It's a marvelous one."

"Down, Tohma, down!" Caspian ordered, swinging forward and biting at Tohma's face. The vizier merely grabbing the snappy parrot and pried him off, calmly sitting him in the quill holder on his desk.

"Don't forget to water the plants..." Tohma whispered, nodding seriously. He grabbed his nicest coat and pranced out of the office, the boa tied around his waist like a neon sash.

"NO!" Caspian shrieked, flapping out of the quill jar and grabbing the back of Tohma's trench coat. He tried to fly backwards to pull the maniac back into the safety of their lair, but Tohma was on a mission and was incapable of being deterred. Caspian conceded the tug-o-war and followed Tohma at a distance, determined to be on clean-up duty if necessary.

Tohma stalked through the halls, the clownish grin still in place. He had no idea where he was going, but he figured he was bound to find the genie eventually. It was pretty hard to hide a magical being these days.

"Here, genie, genie, genie…" Tohma sang out, humming to himself.

"Tohma?" someone asked suspiciously, approaching the crowing vizier with caution. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Mika!" Tohma exclaimed happily, bounding towards Mika with his arms outstretched.

"Tohma, no, don't start that mess." Mika ordered, planting her feet and putting her hands on her hips.

"I think he's past that point, lady." Caspian said to Mika alighting on a lamp to watch the proceedings; Mika was going to filet Tohma.

"MIKA!" Tohma yelled, still skipping towards his love, his tongue flapping out behind him and his eyes shining.

Mika looked away from Caspian and laid eyes on what was quickly approaching her. She shook her head meaningfully, but this only seemed to spur Tohma on. She thought about standing her ground and fighting she noticed the look in Tohma's eyes. She whispered a quick thanks that no one was around to see what she was about to do.

She abandoned her post and started running for all she was worth, the fabric of her royal dress billowing out behind her. She flew around the corner to her hallway and stopped short; there was a giant hole in the throughway of her personal quarters.

"Tohma…" Mika muttered, pinching her nose. She crept closer to the pit, not wanting to fall in and knowing that if she stopped, Tohma would catch her.

"My darling, where are you going?" Tohma sang out, a girlish lilt to his voice.

Mika gulped and flattened herself against the wall, trying to edge around the gigantic crater. Before she could even take a step, Tohma bounded around the corner and made a beeline for her, his eyes unfocused.

"Tohma, no! Stop!" Mika yelled frantically, unable to move. When she saw that Tohma wasn't going to listen, she put her hands up and braced herself for impact.

Tohma slammed into her a few seconds later and they both went flying into the spear pit.

"Dammit Tohma!"

"Oh, it's so dark…so romantic…" Tohma murmured, feeling around in the dark for Mika. When he found her, she smacked him in the head.

Caspian flapped onto the scene a few seconds later and had to make an emergency landing when he saw what was happening in the bottom of the hole. Once the laughter had stopped, he waddled to the edge to get a better look.

Mika was tangled up in several spears and sticks, and her dress was completely ruined. Her crown was balanced precariously on one of the taller spears, and Tohma was eyeing it while mouthing the word 'shiny'. Tohma himself was sitting cross-legged on the floor, completely unscathed. When the crown no longer amused him, he redirected his attention back to Mika and started trying to pet her hair.

"You touch me and you'll be dead." Mika warned, slapping Tohma's hand away. "Bird, get some guards, I'm not staying down here."

"Nah, I don't especially feel like it."

"Unlimited kitchen access. I'll give you a key."

"Sold." Caspian affirmed, tearing out of the hallway and putting all roadrunners to shame. He returned ten minutes later with several guards and a rope.

After the guards had extricated their Sultana and convinced Tohma to stop trying to fondle her, they cleared out. Mika rarely looked that incensed, and none of them wanted to bear the brunt of her anger.

"Tohma…" Mika hissed, her eyes closed.

"Yes, dearest?"

"If you ever…" Mika started to say, getting worked up. "No. No, I can't do this right now."

"What?" Caspian asked, more than slightly disappointed. He wanted bloodshed.

"I have a conference to get to, I don't have time for this." Mika explained, more to herself than anyone else. "I'll deal with you two later."

"You'd better, you owe me a key."

"Don't get your feathers in a knot, I'll handle that after I handle the Princes."

"Princes?" Caspian pried, noting the plurality. "Doesn't that concern the vizier as well?"

Mika looked from Caspian to Tohma, who was sitting in the corner and drooling on himself, and back again.

"Good point, but still…" Caspian pressed, wanting to stay on top of things. Tohma was in no state to handle business, and Caspian had the distinct feeling that at least one of them needed to be at that conference. If they had any chance to get to Prince Eiri in front of Mika, they had to seize it. "You're supposed to tell him these things."

"That's a lost cause." Mika said, gesturing to Tohma. "I gave up on giving you two memos a long time ago, and you don't get invited to most meetings. Tohma's a walking liability, you're a nutcase, and the two of you together is just scary. His title is only a matter of formality."

"We were there during Prince Eiri's introduction."

"As uninvited guests." Mika returned smugly. When she saw Caspian fluff up and shuffle around, she realized that the parrot was in it for the long run. He wasn't going to give up, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know why. "You're not coming, you can stop posturing at me. I don't know why you're getting so upset about this, and I don't give a rat's ass. You stay away from that throne room. Prince Eiri thinks you're both locked up, and it's going to stay that way."

"But-"

"No. No more. You stay out of it. Take Tohma back to the office and take a nap or something." Mika snapped. When Caspian opened his beak again, Mika grunted and stepped towards him. Caspian squeaked, and backed down, very aware that Mika packed one hell of a punch.

"Fine, fine…" Caspian conceded, not at all happy. He watched Mika leave the hall and then landed on Tohma's head, intent on snapping him out of his happy daze. They had spying to do.

* * *

Here's an extra-long chappy to make up for the last one. . I know this story seems like it will never, ever end, but it's getting closer every second…I can actually see the end of my layout. It's a pleasant sight to see after working on this crazy thing for so many years. *sigh*

See you next time,

Amaya


	30. Chapter 25

"I'm so sorry about my tardiness." Mika said politely as she entered the throne room. "I had a…there was an incident."

Yuki, Shuichi, and K were gathered around her throne, and all three looked up immediately when they heard the Sultana's silky voice.

"Everything all right, milady?" K asked politely bowing his head. He stomped on Yuki's foot and he followed suit. Shuichi stuck out his tongue and glared at his stepmother. When she stepped towards him, he jumped behind Yuki for protection.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Mika answered, smiling at K. If she weren't so attached to her platinum vizier, K would have made an excellent replacement.

"What's this about?" Shuichi shot at Mika, feeling more brave than usual due to Yuki's presence.

"Shuichi." Mika said darkly, ascending to her throne and raising her eyebrow at her stepson.

"Yes?"

"Behave…" Yuki whispered to Shuichi, grabbing him and pushing him towards the Sultana. "Go play nice."

Shuichi dug in his heels and latched onto Yuki's wrists, terrified to get within Mika's range.

"Alright, enough." Mika said, clapping her hands. Two guards entered and cracked their knuckles, looking tough. "Shuichi, don't make me use them."

"Whatever…" Shuichi hissed, rolling his eyes but ceasing his antics all the same.

"I called this conference to discuss your marriage." Mika said, getting right to the point. Shuichi looked like he might bite something and Prince Eiri looked like he could barely stand; he was covered in scratches and a few bruises.

"Marriage?" Yuki stuttered, taken aback. He knew that was what was expected, but he'd forgotten to fear it over the last few weeks. He'd been so happy with Shuichi that he'd stopped planning his imminent departure. For a while, he'd even considered staying.

"Yes, that's what you came here for isn't it?" Mika sniped, narrowing her eyes. She'd stuck up for him against Tohma, she'd arrested her vizier because of his crazy accusations, and she'd dismissed Nakano. If it turned out that he didn't even want to marry her insane stepson, she might have to kill someone.

"Well, yes, but…" Yuki stammered, unable to feel his tongue.

"What'd you do?" Mika shot at Shuichi, rising out of her throne.

"His majesty is just surprised at the suddenness of all of this. In our country, courtship lasts much longer…" K interjected, trying to smooth things over. Yuki was turning an odd shade of green and Mika looked like she was ten seconds away from strangling Shuichi.

"Oh really?" Mika asked, feigning interest. She said a prayer that Shuichi didn't bring up her ludicrous time limit. She had no idea how she'd recover from it.

K nodded enthusiastically and launched into a fifteen minute explanation of the courtship rituals in Yuki's fake country. Mika tried to interrupt his spiel, but once K got started, he was an unstoppable force.

Yuki spent the entire time shuffling around, trying to regain feeling in his extremities. He could sense the noose tightening around his neck, and he couldn't make himself calm down. Before this, he'd thought that he had ample time to get away, to leave the palace, but if he got engaged to Shuichi, he was stuck. He couldn't hurt him like that. It was better to disappear before he got his hopes up too high.

Shuichi, on the other hand, was dancing in place, thrilled with the idea of a lifetime of Yuki. He knew that he wasn't really a Prince, and that he probably hadn't come back for the sole purpose of winning his hand, but still. He had to hope, he could dream. He smiled up at Yuki, but the taller man's face was oddly vacant, and he kept twitching at random intervals. Shuichi backed up a few feet, unsure of what would happen next. He'd learned that Yuki could be quite unpredictable when he got like this.

"OK, OK, that was lovely, but we need to get his settled." Mika finally managed, patting K on the shoulder and clearing her throat. "Since Prince Eiri gave his consent when he arrived, Shuichi, this rests on your decision."

"Wait, what consent?" Yuki asked quickly, clapping a hand over Shuichi's mouth.

"You arrived here to court my stepson, no?" Mika questioned, confused. When K nodded in place of Yuki, she continued. "By doing so, you agreed to marry him if he chooses you. The entire point of your tenure here was to get to know Shuichi, and to see if he wanted you."

"You make it sound like it was my choice all along…" Shuichi muttered, snapping out of his giddy mode and glaring at Mika. Her little speech was a fabrication, and Shuichi knew it if no one else did.

"Right…" Yuki replied shakily, leaning against a pillar for support. He knew what Shuichi's answer would be, and then it was all over. He'd realized that he was cutting it awfully close by staying this long, but if they got engaged, he'd have no way out. He couldn't betray Shuichi like that. However, he couldn't give up the game in front of Mika or she'd have him killed. He couldn't decide which fate was worse.

"So, Shuichi, do you choose Prince Eiri? Or are you unhappy?" Mika asked Shuichi, ignoring the strange look on Prince Eiri's face. The faster she got her paperwork drawn up, the better.

"I'm not unhappy…" Shuichi said slowly, looking from Mika to Yuki. The latter looked like he was in intense amounts of pain, and Shuichi was afraid to answer Mika's question honestly. He had no idea if Yuki wanted to stay with him for that long, they'd never talked about it, and he looked so upset.

"Then it's a 'yes'?" Mika pressed, salivating.

"I don't know…" Shuichi stalled, staring fixedly at Yuki. "Eiri?"

Yuki shook his head and glanced up at Shuichi, a little startled by his answer and by the use of his real name.

"Yeah?" he replied slowly, unable to compose a sentence.

"What do you want?" Shuichi asked in a calm voice, walking over to his lover and putting his hands on his chest.

"Why are you wasting time? We already know what he wants!" Mika squalled, impatience getting the best of her manners. K raised an eyebrow and shot her a questioning look. She glared back at him, and he immediately started whistling and looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't." Shuichi responded, turning his attention back to Yuki. "Eiri?"

"I…" Yuki tried to reply, wishing that his brain wasn't failed him. He needed to find a way out of this, he needed to fix things, he needed to- he stopped himself before the hyperventilating commenced and gulped.

Shuichi's change in character had thrown him even more. He'd expected the selfish Shuichi to come right out and claim him. He didn't know what to think now. He weighed the choices, and they almost seemed to come up even. On the one hand, he could keep the palace lifestyle, the riches, basically, his lifelong dream, and be permanently attached to Shuichi, or he could run for it and go back to the streets.

The latter gave him freedom, but the first one gave him Shuichi. He could live without the riches, he had for most of his life, and he found the palace to be stuffy at times. He knew he'd be able to move on from that, but he wasn't sure if he could move on from Shuichi. His eyes scanned the room, taking in everyone's faces. Mika's head was about ready to pop off of her neck and explode, K was scratching himself surreptitiously, and Shuichi was staring at him with an expectantly worried look.

As soon as his eyes met Shuichi's, part of him decided without the rest's consent. He nodded involuntarily and instantly regretted it.

"Yes!" Shuichi shrieked, jumping up and throwing his arms around Yuki's neck. "I choose him!"

"Great…" Mika said through gritted teeth, her false enthusiasm long gone. "If you'll just sign here, Prince Eiri…"

Mika handed Yuki a few papers, and he robotically signed them. The majority of his brain had checked out when he'd nodded, and it had yet to respond to anything happening in the surrounding area.

"Now that that's taken care of, this meeting is dismissed. I'll arrange a formal announcement for this evening to introduce you to the council and a few other high-ranking officials." Mika told the other three in the room. The guards had sneaked out sometime during K's dating explanation, afraid of what would happen when Mika finally snapped.

"That sounds wonderful, we look forward to it milady." K returned politely, steering Yuki out of the room. Shuichi skipped after them, too happy to note how disconnected Yuki was. K closed the doors behind them and sighed, wishing that he didn't have to deal with the Sultana again. "Alright, you, snap out of it…"

K smacked Yuki in the face lightly, trying to jar him out of his stupor. One of his eyes was half-closed and he was leaning slightly to the left, relying on a wall to hold him up.

"I don't think I'll be of any use here…you try." K directed at Shuichi, patting him on the head and leaving for the suite. Ryuichi had had a pajama party with Tatsuha, and he was curious to see if he'd come back. If he had, then K was in trouble; the Rug Man would be the only thing standing between Ryuichi and world domination. "See you two later on then."

"Bye K!" Shuichi chirped, waving at K enthusiastically. When he turned to face Yuki, however, he immediately sobered up. "Yuki?"

Yuki didn't answer, and Shuichi started tugging on his sleeve, trying to elicit a response. He was starting to get worried.

"Eiri?" Shuichi whispered, unsure if he was allowed to use Yuki's real name but trying it anyway. Up until now, he'd always been limited to Yuki's nom de plume, and had been threatened with mortal wounding if he called his love anything else.

"What?" Yuki answered automatically, his eyes focusing and his posture relaxing. He was used to K breaking his name rule, but no one else dared to push that envelope. He looked down at Shuichi with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" Shuichi asked softly, wrapping his arms around Yuki's waist and looking up at him.

"No." Yuki replied, pushing Shuichi away. He could see that he was hurting Shuichi, but he knew that he'd hurt him more if he explained.

He couldn't possibly tell him that he'd made a mistake, that his body had acted independently of his brain, that he'd planned on leaving soon. Any of his thoughts would break Shuichi's heart, and he was becoming more unsure of his ability to do that by the minute.

"Why?" Shuichi pried, trying to find out what was wrong with his fiancé. "Let me help you…"

"You can't, Shuichi, just…"

"No, Yuki, don't tell me to leave…" Shuichi pleaded, sensing what was next. Yuki closed himself off every time something bothered him, and Shuichi was dying to be let in. "Please…"

"Shuichi, I'm sorry, I need to think." Yuki plowed on, pushing Shuichi away and striding across the hall.

"Eiri…" Shuichi whispered after Yuki's retreating back, wishing that Yuki could be as happy as he was about the engagement. Instead, he seemed miserable. "He said yes…he said he wanted me…"

Shuichi left the hall and made a beeline for Cinda, in need of some comfort.

"Finally…" Tohma muttered, stepping out from behind his column. "Thought they'd never leave."

He instinctively turned to silence Caspian's snarky response, but then he remembered that the green fiend was on his own mission. After he'd snapped out of his funk, he'd sent Caspian to watch the street rat's suite so that they could figure out a more subtle way of getting the lamp. They didn't have to kill Yuki as long as they had the lamp, and after some convincing, Caspian had agreed that no blood was better than no lamp.

Tohma sighed and walked over to his office to wait for Caspian. If nothing else, he could reflect on the meeting he'd just overheard. He couldn't believe that the street rat was taking things this far; he'd always come across as flighty. If he ended up married to Shuichi before they could steal the lamp, Tohma wasn't sure that Mika would allow him to live. Shuichi getting married was the first step in their plan, and they couldn't move on without the lamp.

Sure, Mika could always order Yuki to hand it over once he married Shuichi, but she was still under the impression that Tohma was a serial liar. She still didn't buy that her precious Prince Eiri had the lamp, and Tohma was certain that something terrible would happen if he tried to bring it up again. He groaned, and shut the office door behind him, deciding to do some dusting while he waited for the spying conure to come back. He kept telling himself that everything would work out, that Caspian would find something to help them, but a part of him couldn't stop worrying. He really didn't want to lose his head.

* * *

Yuki wandered the halls for a while, trying desperately to clear his head. He honestly had no idea what to do, even though he only saw two options. One, he could stay, marry Shuichi, and try to make things work, or two, he could run.

"That was the plan all along…" Yuki whispered to himself, trying to bolster support for the second option. Every time he saw himself staying and marrying Shuichi, his chest contracted and he saw spots dancing in front of his eyes.

He sighed and leaned against a wall, closing his eyes. It was times like this that made him wish for a friend, someone to talk him into or out of what he decided on. If K wasn't so homicidally inclined, he might fit the bill, and if Ryuichi wasn't clinically insane he might too. Yuki groaned and banged his head against the wall, wondering if he could knock some end-all answer loose.

He hated that he couldn't just make a decision and walk away like he used to, and he hated being split down the middle. Part of him just wanted the money and the palace like he always had, and part of him missed the freedom of his old life. He started musing about the streets, and his old house, and then memories of Ryuichi surfaced. Yuki immediately added him to the cons list for option two.

He stayed where he was for a little bit longer, squeezing every thought that he could out of his mind. At this point, he almost didn't care which option he chose, as long as he could choose one and not regret it. Once his mind went blank and he could no longer see straight, he pushed off of the wall and headed back for his old suite. He had it in his head that seeing Ryuichi would make the cons list all the more poignant, and could possibly force his troubled mind to pick a choice.

He reached the suite without incident, watching very carefully for Caspian and Tohma. If he did decide to stay, they'd be the first to go.

"Ryuichi?" Yuki called out, curious to see if his idea would work. "Where are you?"

He was met with silence, and was immediately worried. Ryuichi was only quiet when he was absent, up to something, or physically unable to speak. He did a quick search of the rooms, and came up empty-handed. He and Kuma were both missing, and the rug was snoozing peacefully in the corner, enjoying an early afternoon siesta.

"Damn…." Yuki said to himself, flopping into a couch to think some more. It was hopeless to search the palace, and he had to make a decision before K made him go to Mika's announcement that evening. Every second was a precious opportunity to sort out his life.

After a while, he found himself wishing that K or Ryuichi were there, just to break the monotony of it all. He sighed and burrowed into his couch, waiting for the answer to fall into his lap.

* * *

K whistled while he walked, his hands in his pockets, and his head held high. His plan was working, and Yuki's wish was being completely fulfilled and then some. He'd wished to be a Prince, and now he was going to be a Sultan. K sighed contentedly and did a little hop.

"Perfect…you're a genius. Who's a genius? You're a genius!" K gloated, patting himself on the back.

He was too busy celebrating his wonderfulness to notice that he was being stalked, and subsequently, never heard the vizier sneaking up behind him.

"You're mine, genie." Tohma whispered, pushing back his sleeves and preparing for the plunge. Caspian wouldn't approve, but he wasn't around to stop the carnage this time. Besides, he'd gotten bored with dusting three minutes after he'd started.

He continued to shadow the genie for a few steps, and then he lunged forward and tried to tackle the tall mythical creature. He slammed into K's solid back and bounced off, dazed.

"What the hell?" K asked, spinning around and pulling out his gun. He cocked it and aimed at Tohma, really despising the fact that genie's couldn't kill.

"No, no, no! This is backwards!" Tohma yelled, coming unglued again. He'd never had so many plans go so wrong in such a short amount of time. Before Prince Eiri, he'd never made so many terrible mistakes, and he was going to do his best to make this one succeed.

"It is?" K asked, putting his foot on Tohma's chest and grinning. "I'm not so sure."

"AHHHH!" Tohma screamed, shoving off K's foot and jumping up. "ARGH! YOU STUPID GENIE!"

"Whoa, man, breathe…" K suggested, staring at the lunatic in front of him. He had no idea how Tohma knew what he was, but if the cat was out of the bag, then so be it. "You can't handle this fight…"

"YES I CAN!" Tohma replied, screaming again and charging K. He hit him full-force, and when K stumbled slightly, Tohma pushed again and brought the strong genie down. "I win!"

"I'm still breathing." K told Tohma, patting him on the head with his gun and smiling. "Not over yet."

Tohma muttered something incomprehensible and proceeded to beat K's chest and face ferociously, working himself into a rage. K stayed where he was, occasionally shielding his face, waiting for Tohma to pucker out. The vizier kept up his attack for a few more minutes, and he leaned back, glaring at K.

"Just give it up."

"Can't."

"Really now?" Tohma asked slyly, a devious glint replacing the insane one currently residing in his eyes. A few of his spells flashed through his head, and he figured if he really, really concentrated, he might be able to unleash at least one of them properly.

"Oh, don't try that mess again…" K said to Tohma, rolling his eyes. He knew that he could easily blast the vizier halfway to China and back, but this was more fun. As long as he didn't try any funny business, K was content to stay right where he was. The rug could deal with Ryuichi on its own for a bit longer.

"Shh, I'm focusing."

K rolled his eyes again and started planning out the rest of his day, waiting for Tohma to get over himself.

"Alla ka ZAM!" Tohma yelled, his arms out and eyes squeezed shut. When nothing happened, he opened one and peeked to see what has happening.

"I think you meant 'zing'." K offered, feeling helpful. Tohma had no hope of hurting him.

"Thanks." Tohma said, smiling. He'd spent a few days researching ancient spells that were especially meant for use against genies, and most were so old that he was sure K wouldn't know about them.

"Alla ka ZING!" Tohma tried again.

The hall was silent for a few seconds, and then the ominous sound of rolling thunder started up. K looked at Tohma with a quizzical expression, pretty impressed that the vizier actually did something right.

"I DID IT!" Tohma yelled, getting off of K and dancing around the hallway.

"You made thunder, whoopee." K said, conjuring some confetti.

"Not just thunder, genie…"

"Alright, how the hell do you know about- OWW! OUCH! STOP IT!" K screamed, falling to his knees in agony. As soon as the thunder had stopped, he'd been struck with a lightning bolt, and he could feel the electricity coursing through his veins. "AHHHHH!"

"Gotcha!" Tohma crowed, crossing his arms and smiling at K's pain. He knew that he couldn't kill the genie without killing Mika's plan, but if he took him out for a few hours, he'd probably be able to finish off Prince Eiri or at least steal the lamp.

"Enough!" K pleaded, falling onto his face as the lightning ceased. He'd never felt such pain, he'd never been unable to help himself like that. He glared at Tohma's feet, panting and trying to regain his composure.

"Nope, I don't think so." Tohma replied, cracking his knuckles and preparing his next spell. K was back on his knees, trying to pull himself up, and Tohma was eager to get this over with.

Even though he was ready for the pain, the spell still knocked K back down to the floor. He screamed some more and writhed around, unable to focus long enough to use a counter-spell.

"Alright already, just conk out." Tohma sighed, exasperated. It'd been fun the first time around, but K's shrieks of pain were giving him a migraine. He put his hands over his ears until the spell ended, wishing he could remember how to silence someone.

"No…" K muttered, his eyes closed and his face covered in sweat beads. He desperately tried to rack his brain for a solution, but he was still reeling from the electric shock.

"This should do it…" Tohma said to himself, pulling out some notes and shaking back his sleeves. This spell was stronger than the last, and Tohma was certain that this would finish the genie off for a bit. "Say 'goodnight' genie…"

"KUMAGORO BEAM!" Ryuichi screamed, catapulting into the hallway and assaulting Tohma ferociously with his bunny companion. "LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU BULLY!"

"Ahh!" Tohma yelled out, toppling over backwards. He rolled around on the floor, trying to dislodge Kumagoro from his boa.

"Ryuichi?" K asked weakly, finally pulling himself up and staggering towards his rescuer.

"It's okay, I got 'em." Ryuichi told K, narrowing his eyes at Tohma.

"Sure, sure, use the bunny, that won't save you…" Tohma muttered, dusting himself off and re-adjusting his boa. He tried to stuff the rabbit in his pocket, and when he'd succeeded, he started saying the right words to call on his next spell.

"Let's get out of here." K whispered, leaning heavily on Ryuichi.

"Not without Kuma." Ryuichi told K, gingerly helping him to the ground. He instantly adopted a crazed smile and started advancing on Tohma, his eyes locked on Kuma.

Tohma thought about rushing the spell, but if it failed, he would probably die. He'd never seen anyone have that look in their eyes, especially not over a stuffed animal. He backed up a few steps, but Ryuichi only increased his pace.

"Stay back!" Tohma warned, brandishing Kuma.

"Give me my Kuma." Ryuichi ordered quietly, his tone dangerous.

When Ryuichi kept coming, Tohma tried to zap him with a minor spell, but it backfired and got him instead.

"Yikes!" Tohma cried out, cringing.

"Not so funny now is it?" K quipped from the floor. His eyes were regaining their sharp edge, and he looked like his color was coming back.

Faced with an advancing Ryuichi and a recharged K, Tohma felt his advantage slipping away. He sighed and resigned himself to the inevitable conclusion.

"Alright, alright, just take it!" Tohma shrieked, all of his confidence giving way to panic. He tossed the rabbit at Ryuichi and ran for it, his boa blowing out behind him.

"Kuma." Ryuichi chirped happily, hugging the small bunny to his chest. "You OK?"

"I'll live." K answered, getting off of the floor again and stabilizing himself on the wall. "That vizier won't, though."

"He's a bully."

"Yeah, that's what he is…" K said under his breath, pushing off of the wall and heading for the suite. He figured that Yuki wouldn't have gone back to Shuichi's room after the scene in the throne room, and he had a huge bone to pick with him.

The Tohma attack had gotten the wheels turning in K's head. Sure, Tohma and Caspian had struck against Yuki plenty of times, but those attempts had always amused K as he stood on the sidelines. This time, it was personal, and he suddenly found himself tiring of the stupidity. Yuki was welcome to keep up the charade on his own, but K was done.

He'd already tried to talk to Yuki about using his third wish, with no success, but this time the conversation was going to go a lot differently. If he didn't wish him free that day, it could get ugly.

"Where you going?" Ryuichi asked, lost now that his purpose was complete. He'd heard K screaming as he left Tatsuha's room, and had come running to rescue the armed damsel in distress.

"Back to our rooms, I need to see if Yuki's there." K responded, trying to decide how he'd retaliate if Yuki didn't cooperate.

"YUKI!" Ryuichi squealed, dancing in place. With all of his Tatsuha plans and Yuki's natural hermit tendencies, he hadn't seen his friend for quite some time.

K sighed and watched Ryuichi peel out of the hall at full-speed, leaving clouds of dust behind him. He moved as fast as he could without cringing and eventually reached the suite. From the excited Ryuichi noises coming from within, he guessed that Yuki was indeed inside.

"Took you long enough." Yuki told K as the genie entered the suite. Ryuichi was bouncing up and down on his lap with the world's biggest grin in place.

"Don't start with me."

"Too late." Yuki sniped, feeling persnickety. Seeing Ryuichi again had had no affect on him, and the overwhelming panic was starting to return.

"Alright, wishing boy, behave." K said to Yuki, slamming the door behind him. He'd wanted to start out civil, but Yuki was clearing in need of an attitude adjustment. K channeled his frustration with Tohma and his anger for how Yuki was handling Shuichi and psyched himself up for a battle royal. "Ryuichi, give us a minute."

"But…"

"Now." K ordered, pointing to Ryuichi's room. He didn't want to tarnish Ryuichi's image of either of them, and he didn't want him getting stuck in the middle of the upcoming battle.

"Ah, K…" Ryuichi whined, trying to hug Yuki. "I wanna play too!"

"I'd listen if I were you…" Yuki whispered to Ryuichi, trying to push him off of his lap. He looked over Ryuichi's shoulder, and when he caught sight of K's face, he was a little taken aback. The genie looked genuinely angry.

Ryuichi glanced back at K and squeaked, terrified of what he saw. He leapt off of Yuki and ran for his room, not wanting to expose Kuma to any unnecessary danger.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Yuki asked after the clicks and thumps from Ryuichi securing his door had subsided. He raised his chin slightly to stare at K's face, trying to read the genie. "Wake up on the wrong side of the lamp?"

"Make the third wish, set me free." K mandated, cutting right to the chase.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, street rat, I'm done."

"Well I'm not." Yuki retorted, his feathers getting ruffled at K's use of 'street rat'.

"Really now? Then what was happening in that throne room? This is miserable for both of us, just end it now." K said to Yuki, attempting to reign himself in a little bit. If he wore Yuki down enough with the engagement fiasco, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to get violent.

"I nodded, didn't I?" Yuki answered, glaring daggers.

"Only because you lost control of your motor skills and your head fell forward. That was sheer dumb luck, and you know it."

"I planned that." Yuki replied quickly, trying to save some face. He could see exactly where K was going, and he was going to have to cut him off. He couldn't let the genie know how he really felt, and his earlier hopes of K as a confidant were fading fast.

He knew that this was a terrible situation, that was obvious, but he wasn't ready to handle things on his own. As long as he had K, he felt relatively safe, and he felt that he had an easy way out. All he had to do was wish to disappear, or to move faraway, something. Anything that would distance him from Shuichi once he left sounded absolutely perfect. He wouldn't be able to handle seeing him so broken, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stay away once he was gone.

Even if he decided to stay, he'd need K. Until he'd actually married Shuichi, nothing was solid, and he needed the genie to back up his story and keep the spell going. Without K, he'd fail, and the Sultana would most likely have him executed. He took a deep breath and looked at K, wondering when the genie was going to make his retort. He'd been silent for a few minutes, and Yuki was afraid of the color that his face was turning.

"You did not plan that." K finally said, his teeth gritted. He couldn't believe that Yuki was so blatantly lying to him after all the help he'd given him. Besides, they'd agreed on this since the beginning.

"Yes I did."

"Oh please, I saw you in there. You looked like a fish out of water. Besides, you said you were leaving. So leave." K spat, getting pretty annoyed with his charge.

"I'm working on it…" Yuki muttered defensively, crossing his arms and glaring at K. His earlier thoughts started popping up in his head, and he had to work hard to silence them so that K didn't find some edge to the argument. He couldn't afford to set the genie free, and he wasn't going to give up without a serious fight. "It's none of your business."

"Oh yes it is! I made this! I made you! You are my business, you insolent thing!" K shouted, taking a step forward.

"Exactly! It's all your fault!" Yuki yelled back, getting out of his chair. His nerves had finally gotten the best of him, and K was the perfect outlet. He couldn't silence the unceasing voices in his head, and he felt completely panicked, completely out of his element. He had no idea what to do, and he had no conceivable way of reaching a decision before sunset.

"What? Don't even!"

"I didn't want any of this!" Yuki continued, gesturing to the suite. "I wished for money, for riches! Not to be a Prince!"

"Well I'm so sorry for giving you Shuichi!" K shouted, trying to land a blow to stop Yuki's rant.

"I didn't want him!"

"Yes you did!" K argued, in utter disbelief that Yuki would say such a thing. He'd never seen someone look so content as Yuki did when he was with the younger man, and he'd seemed pretty interested back in the oasis. "You would've wished for him if my rules allowed it!"

"Don't tell me what I wanted! I never wanted to be here, not like this, and now I'm trapped, I'm stuck, and it's your fault, you goddamn screw-up!" Yuki screamed, walking up and shoving K. "I didn't want him forever, and now I don't think I have a choice!"

"I'm a screw-up?" K questioned dangerously, shoving Yuki back. "I gave you the love of your life, I gave you your precious Prince, hell, I made you the Sultan!"

"Only if I give up everything and marry him!" Yuki shouted back, images of his hovel flashing up in his head. It was down-trodden, drafty, and small, but at least he had freedom there.

"He's worth more than that!" K replied, incensed. He hated that Yuki took Shuichi for granted so often, and it made him sick. "He's too good for you, you don't deserve him!"

"That's right, I don't! I never did, and I knew that, you're the one that made this happen!" Yuki snapped, resisting the urge to punch K. "And when I leave him and break his heart, that's your fault too."

"I…" K stuttered, his words jumbling up in his throat. He'd always blamed Yuki for the inevitable, but he'd never thought about the part he'd played. Yuki was right, if he'd ignored Ryuichi and done what he was told, none of this would've happened.

"You're an ass, you worthless genie." Yuki said to K, intending to wound.

"Fine. Whatever. Just wish me free and that'll be it." K conceded after a few tense minutes of silence. He didn't know what else to say to Yuki, and the defeatist attitude had taken him over. Now that the adrenaline from the Tohma encounter was starting to wear off, he just felt tired, and completely drained.

"No, are you crazy?" Yuki asked incredulously, shaking his head at K. He thought that his 'worthless' comment would've silence K for a few days at least, but he was clearly not ready to give up. "No, you got me into this mess, and you'll get me out of it."

"That wasn't the deal!" K replied, finding his second wind. Yuki was openly violating their agreement, and he wasn't about to let that happen. Every other master he'd served had done the same thing, and he'd told himself before he met Yuki and Ryuichi that he would never let that happen again.

"That deal was null and void the second you ignored my wish and listened to Ryuichi!"

"No it wasn't!"

"I have the power here, genie, you listen to me!" Yuki yelled, his eyes popping. He'd resented K and Ryuichi every time something had gone wrong in the palace, and now that he was supposed to get married and stay there forever, their hides were definitely on the menu. "I own you!"

"You own me?" K retorted, snorting at Yuki. "No one owns me!"

"Tell that to your lamp." Yuki replied snarkily, pulling out K's lamp and waving it at him. "Once I decide what to do about the engagement, I'll use my last wish to make sure things go smoothly."

"You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever I want!" Yuki told K, putting the lamp back in his pocket. K's responses were getting weaker and weaker, and Yuki noticed that the genie was barely standing up. Something had clearly happened to him, but Yuki was beyond caring. Anything that gave him the upper hand in the argument was fine with him. He sensed the opportunity to end things quickly, and took it. "That's that, this is over."

"It's not over until I say it is!" K shouted, desperate to regain some control.

Yuki had never exercised his power like this, and K had never expected him to. He'd thought about ways to force the street rat to see things his way, but even if he dissolved the Prince wish, K had the distinct feeling that Yuki would just wish for money and disappear into the sunset, happy as a clam. Even if he wanted to stay, he could use his last wish to get it all back. K sighed in frustration and glared at Yuki, regretting for the second time that day that genies couldn't kill.

"We done here?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow and flopping into his chair again. "Because I am, and I'm not wishing you free."

"We are most certainly not-"

"Enough."

"This is not over, Eiri, I'm not letting this one slide. You owe me my freedom!"

"I owe you nothing!" Yuki yelled, getting up again and practically frothing at the mouth. "You ruined my life!"

"That's how it is, then?" K asked quietly, watching Yuki's contorted face. He saw now that he had no chance of making Yuki do what he wanted, and if the fight continued, it would only get worse. "Really? After all I've done?"

"Especially after all you've done!"

K stopped and looked at Yuki, unsure of what to do. He'd never felt so betrayed, or so used, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. He and Yuki had never been bosom buddies, but they'd been through a lot together. He thought about using violence to convince Yuki, but for some reason, that didn't feel right. He couldn't guilt trip him, his last few replies had proven that, and he was incapable of being convinced. In the face of defeat, he only had one option, and that was to sever the connection entirely. If Yuki didn't value his companionship and previous loyalty, K would make him with his absence.

If he got attacked again, so be it. He'd have to use the third wish to save himself, no more freebies. If he needed advice, he'd have to ask Kumagoro. If he needed someone to occupy Ryuichi while he was with Shuichi, maybe he should go ask his old friend Tatsuha.

K sighed and looked Yuki in the eye, trying to determine if there was any wavering. When Yuk continued to glare, K gave up and moved forward with his last resort.

"Fine." K said, backing up and shaking his head at Yuki. "If that's what you want…master."

With that said, K snapped and disappeared, willingly entering his lamp for the first time in weeks.

"K?" Yuki asked after a few minutes of quiet. K had never done this before, and Yuki was completely shocked.

His question received no response, and Yuki instantly regretted his choices. He'd been much too hard on his friend, and he wasn't sure if K would ever forgive him. He groaned and leaned back, pushing those thoughts out of his head to focus on his engagement conundrum. Each second that ticked by felt like a stab wound, and he wasn't even close to reconciling himself to either choice.

He weighed the options over and over again for a while, until some strange noises in his vicinity grabbed his attention. K wasn't coming out anytime soon, and Shuichi knew better than to bother him when he was thinking. He heard the noise again and stood up cautiously, scanning the room for the source.

He couldn't see anything moving around, but he could still hear a distinct ruffling noise. He immediately thought of Tohma, but the vizier was too conspicuous to be well-hidden.

"Wait…Caspian?" Yuki asked, looking around the ceiling. There were several potted plants, and the high shelves would make an excellent vantage point for a pesky parrot.

"Yes?" Caspian called back, unable to pass up the tantalizing chance to screw with Yuki's head. He knew he had to tell Tohma what he'd overheard, but he still couldn't resist. He hadn't promised to be timely in his reporting, he'd only promised not to cause any mayhem or dismember anyone while Tohma wasn't there to supervise.

"What are you doing here?" Yuki asked suspiciously, his eyes going in circles trying to locate the cocky menace.

"Ah, that's the million dollar question, now isn't it?" Caspian chirped, edging around his shelf so that he could see the door. It was closed, but if he moved fast enough, he'd be able to swing off of the handle, open it, and fly for freedom.

"Bird."

"Well now, you do an excellent Tohma impression." Caspian informed Yuki, preparing for flight. "I'm just here to check up on things, see how you're genie is doing…"

"Genie?" Yuki repeated, horrorstruck. They weren't supposed to know who the genie was, even though they knew he had the lamp.

"Yeah, you're not nearly as sneaky as you think." Caspian replied, twittering with glee at the look on Yuki's face. His rapid movements gave him away however, and before he could flap for it, Yuki was hurling pillows at him.

"You devil bird!" Yuki screeched, throwing everything he could lay hands on at Caspian. "Get out!"

"If that's what you want…" Caspian replied, ruffling up and careening off of the shelf. He dodged a few more projectiles and alighted on the door handle, jumping up and down until it opened. Once the way was clear, he released the handle and went skidding into the hall, only taking flight when Yuki stopped pelting him with pillows. "Tohma will be thrilled…"

"Damn…" Yuki whispered to the empty room, very concerned about what Caspian was going to do with his new information. He had no idea when the dastardly duo had deduced that K was the genie, but it was not a good sign.

"Is the conure gone?" Ryuichi asked timidly, peeping out of his room with Kuma on his head. "Is it safe?"

"Yeah, it's safe…" Yuki mumbled, shutting the door again.

"Okay." Ryuichi said quietly, shuffling back out. "Yuki?"

"What now?"

"Where's K?"

"He…" Yuki paused, trying to find the right word. He wasn't sure how many pillows Ryuichi had piled up on his side of the door, and had no way of knowing how much of the fight he'd overheard. "He's taking a nap."

"You're just lying to everyone today, aren't you?" Ryuichi asked seriously, setting Kuma down and crossing his arms.

"Not you too…" Yuki murmured, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You took it too far." Ryuichi told Yuki, upset at what had transpired between his two amigos.

"He started it."

"You didn't have to finish it."

"Listen, I don't need this from you!" Yuki yelled at Ryuichi, stomping off to his door.

"Then who do you need it from, I'll go and get them!" Ryuichi shouted back, angry with his long-time companion. Yuki had always had these tendencies, but he'd never acted on them so much in a single conversation.

"Stay out of it."

"Too late, I'm already in it. You need to apologize." Ryuichi told Yuki, trying to fix things.

"Not until hell freezes over."

"That's not nice, Yuki…Kuma doesn't like it when you do this…" Ryuichi mumbled, slipping back into his childlike state in the face of Yuki's worst glare.

"You and your stupid rabbit can bugger off, I don't give a damn!" Yuki shot back, walking into his room and slamming the door behind him.

"Yuki…" Ryuichi whispered, the anguish clear in his voice. He hated fighting with his friend, and this was one of the worst. He sniffed a few times, fighting to hold back his tears. When they got the best of him, he grabbed Kuma and ran for the door, setting out to find Tatsuha.

Yuki waited until Ryuichi's cries died down and eventually were out of hearing range. He sighed and rolled off of his bed, wondering why he couldn't control himself. In less than an hour, he'd lost the only person he'd ever fathomed calling a friend, and his wartime pal.

He shook his head again to clear his mind, and returned to his miserable reverie. He could see the blue sky out of his window, and he knew that it would soon turn red and doom him to his fate. He groaned and grabbed a pillow to cover his face with, wishing that he'd never agreed to go traipsing across a desert with a banana; decomposing in a jail cell would've been better than this.

* * *

This is a nice, long chapter to make up for the fact that I won't be updating next weekend. I'll be at Naka-Kon a week from right now, dancing the night away with Jareth the goblin king from the Labyrinth. I'm not taking my laptop with me, so no post. If you happen to be going, I'll be the Dante wandering around with a Vergil, a Mad Hatter, a Jareth, possibly a Tohma, and other insane people. Have a good weekend/next week peeps, I'm out.

-Amaya


	31. Chapter 26

"Tohma, Tohma, Tohma!" Caspian shrieked, blasting into the office. "Big stuff! Stuff!"

"Take a chill pill…" Tohma sighed, leaning back into his couch and readjusted the cool rag he had on his forehead. He'd changed into his bathrobe and slippers, ready to relax for the day. Getting beamed by the infamous bunny had really done a number on him.

"We don't have time for that!" Caspian shouted at Tohma, landing on his head and yanking out the nearest hairs. "Get up, get up!"

"What, what? Alright, get off, BIRD!" Tohma squalled, slapping Caspian away and yelling when the bird bit one of his fingers in his excitement. "CALM YOURSELF CASPIAN!"

"I can't! This is huge!"

"Spit it out, then!" Tohma said exasperatedly, sucking his bloody thumb.

"The genie and the lamp are one, he's in it now! And he and that street rat had a huge fight! And we need to get in there!" Caspian belted out at turbo speed, assaulting Tohma with his mess of words. "Move it, man! It's our chance, that genie is on lock-down mode and he's mad enough that he won't come to the rat's rescue!"

"Caspo, slow down." Tohma told Caspian calmly, afraid that the bird might explode. He sat up and snapped into planning mode. This unprecedented turn of events had inspired him. "We need to think this through, we can't afford to blow this chance by being impulsive."

"Tohma, no! We have to go now, we have to move, we have to-"

Tohma reached over to where Caspian was perched and smacked him, knocking him out of his frenzy.

"Thanks, I needed that." Caspian admitted, bobbing up and down slowly.

"Yeah, you did." Tohma agreed, giving Caspian a quick scratch on his cheek. "Listen, I say we do things my way this time. No blood, no murder, no weapons, no vegetables…"

"Uh uh, that carrot was your idea maestro." Caspian said, stretching out his wings and yawning. "And I already curtailed myself during my spying expedition, I'm not doing it again."

"You can eat their livers once we have the lamp." Tohma reassured the bird, wondering what else he might have to bargain in order to win over the parrot.

"I don't eat livers, you nincompoop."

"What about that time in Fiji?"

"Tohma! You promised, that stays in the vault!" Caspian screeched, flying off to his cage in a huff.

"Alright, easy bird, we need to figure this out. Mika's conference is set for tonight, and we need to have that lamp before then. She might ramp up security on the imposter once he's officially going to be family. Plus, it'll make a great entrance." Tohma thought aloud, pacing around the office slowly with his eyes partially closed. He hadn't been able to exercise his devious side in quite a while, as he'd been allowing Caspian to drive for the last few escapades, and he was reveling in it.

"You and your entrances…" Caspian muttered, flopping into his water bowl and sighing contentedly. He hadn't bathed in days and it felt excellent to have the water seeping into his feathers.

"We need to show up and be diplomatic. No more assassination attempts, just civility." Tohma pressed on, ignoring Caspian's slight. When the bird made no response and continued wallowing in his make-shift bathtub, Tohma attempted to win him over. "For me, at least."

Caspian perked up instantaneously, splashing his side of the office with bathwater.

"I don't have to be a nice bird?" Caspian asked expectantly, visions of axes and fire dancing through his head.

"No, I don't think so..." Tohma mused aloud. Once he'd silenced his Caspian-inspired bloodthirsty side, his mind had reverted back to its usual genius. "I think you should work on getting the lamp while I keep him distracted. Is that short maniac still there?"

"The Prince?"

"No, his twin."

"Oh, right, yeah, he split." Caspian answered, scratching himself slowly.

"Good, one less thing to worry about." Tohma said, repressing a shudder when he thought of the savage Kumagoro. "This is what I'm thinking: I'll keep the street rat focused on me, and you sneak in and snag the lamp."

"What happens when something goes wrong? Something always goes wrong…" Caspian asked, ruffling up his feathers to dry off.

"We need some sort of signal, a code word, something…" Tohma said, stroking his boa thoughtfully. "We need a word that'll grab our attention…"

"Hot pink feather boa?" Caspian suggested, ducking behind a food bowl for protection against potential projectiles.

"I…uh…donuts?" Tohma attempted sarcastically, failing miserably in his endeavor to wound the conure, who was now bobbing up and down and repeating 'donuts' as fast as he could.

"Later, we'll have victory donuts later." Tohma offered, trying to pacify the frantic bird. "Wait…"

"What?" Caspian queried, filing away a mental note concerning late-night donuts. As soon as Mika gave him his kitchen key, he was pretty sure he'd have his cage moved there to make things easier for him when he had eaten enough to prevent flight.

"Banana." Tohma said softly, smiling at Caspian. "This all started with a banana, it'll end with one."

"How…symbolic…" Caspian managed, wondering why they couldn't have a cool code word like 'impale'.

"Exactly." Tohma continued, oblivious to Caspian's obvious dissatisfaction. "I think that's all we need. If either one of us gets into trouble, we'll yell 'banana' and the other one will provide the assist."

"What if one of us feels the need to bravely run away?"

"You're not leaving me in there, Caspian!"

"I was talking about you, captain fierce."

"Caspian, this is a team effort." Tohma said, jaw clenched.

"Then make sure you can hold it together."

"Listen, conure, I'll be fine. When we get in there, you have to behave yourself. Just steal the lamp, no toe removal procedures, no dive-bombing, no yelling, and if you see a donut, look away." Tohma listed out on his fingers, glaring at his insolent parrot.

"As long as I get one later…" Caspian said under his breath, stretching and flapping his wings to get rid of all the excess water from his bath. "Well, let's get going."

"Give me a second, I need to change." Tohma said to Caspian, wandering over to his closet and rifling through his vast collection of clothes.

"Of course, how could I forget, you have to look your best when committing a felony." Caspian jabbed from his cage, preening while Tohma muttered incoherently and got dressed.

"Alright, let's move. That conference is getting closer, we can't afford to lose this chance." Tohma said seriously, shrugging into a nicer trench coat and fluffing up his boa. "Ready?"

"I was born ready…" Caspian replied in a gritty tone, narrowing his eyes and nodding slowly at Tohma.

* * *

After spending fifteen more minutes wallowing in self-pity intermixed with random spurts of denial, Yuki was being proactive. He'd written up pros and cons lists for both choices, pulled out any supporting evidence, and, even though he had all the paperwork in the world to support either, he still couldn't make a choice.

He'd moved on to silent prayer and deep breathing exercises, thinking that maybe some deity interfering might not be so bad. He'd locked himself into his room at the start of his layout process, and he'd started to feel claustrophobic almost immediately. He'd grown accustomed to Shuichi's room, with its large windows and balcony. He sighed, trying not to think of Shuichi, and shuffled over to his own little window.

From his high vantage point, he could see most of Agrabah, and the city looked lovely in the late afternoon sun. The light was reflecting off of roofs and hanging sheets, and it gave the town a warm glow. Yuki searched until he found the general area that he and Ryuichi had lived in, and suddenly his decision was made for him.

When he laid eyes on his old hovel, the overwhelming desire to be back there overtook him. He could feel it throbbing through him, and he gasped with the pain of it. He kept looking at the city, and that only solidified his choice; he had to leave.

He missed his old life more than anything, and nothing would ever change that. He couldn't stand being trapped in the palace, feeling like someone's puppet in a sick marionette routine. Eventually, it would have worn him down. He should've known that staying was never an option, he wouldn't have been able to take it forever. Somewhere down the road, he would've packed up and left. He sighed, and resigned himself to the fact that this was better for Shuichi anyway. It was better to hurt him early than to abandon him years down the line.

His entire life, he'd wished for a fortune, and now that he had one staring him in the face, all he wanted to do was run from it. His mind was reeling from the realization, and it was hard for him to understand why it'd reached this decision. He had everything he ever wanted in the palace, and he was about to walk away from it.

He swallowed hard, trying to derive some counter-argument, but nothing came to mind. All he could see, all he could think about, was his old house and how much he'd rather be there than here. The best situation would've been to take Shuichi with him, but that couldn't happen. The Sultana would never let him leave.

At that thought, the guilt came flooding back and he squeezed his eyes shut to stop the images of Shuichi's crying face that were overtaking his mind. He knew how selfish he was being by leaving Shuichi behind to a life that he hated, but he couldn't stay here, he couldn't live like this, even with Shuichi. He sighed angrily and opened his eyes again, wishing desperately that there was another way. Now that he had his decision, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to go through with it.

"I can't tell him goodbye…" Yuki murmured, surprised when he felt the unfamiliar burn of tears. He knew without a doubt that he wouldn't be able to make it through that without breaking down or doing something that he would regret.

He thought about the other options for explaining himself, but they all seemed too impersonal. He hated leaving things like they were, but they way he saw it, he had no other choice.

"I hate this…" Yuki whispered, his voice cracking. He sucked in some air to calm down and mentally prepared himself for what he had to do.

He tore his eyes away from the glowing skyline and started picking up his papers. He tore up the ones that outlined all the good and bad reasons for staying with Shuichi, throwing them into the nearest lamp. From the other stack he grabbed the documents that Tohma had given him outside of the cave. Even though they weren't signed, he could use them as blackmail against Tohma to get amnesty for himself as he was pretty sure Ryuichi had his in the bag.

Yuki grabbed the lamp from his bedside table and moved into the main room, setting everything in neat little pile on the couch. He'd already moved the rest of his belongings to Shuichi's room, and he was debating how much they were worth to him when he noticed the darkening sky out of his window. He'd wasted too much time admiring the city, and now he would have to rush to make it out of the palace before someone came to get him for Mika's dreaded announcement. He gathered up the papers and the lamp, but before he could stow them away, a knock interrupted him.

"Hello? Hello in there!" Tohma called enthusiastically, tapping on the door.

"What the hell…?" Yuki said quietly, walking slowly towards the door. He put the papers and lamp on an end table and continued edging forward. "Tohma?"

Yuki inched closer to the door, analyzing it skeptically. Any time Tohma was involved always ended badly for him, and he didn't have a magic genie to save him if things got out of hand. K was hunkered down in his lamp, and Yuki was pretty sure that he wasn't coming out in the near future.

"It's rude to ignore a guest!" Tohma sang out, drumming out a beat on the door to further annoy the room's inhabitant.

"Go away." Yuki said simply, deciding to take the high road. Sure, he could try to assassinate the vizier and end this cat and mouse game, but if he was leaving, he needed the platinum fool to secure his amnesty.

"Oh, come now, friend, let's play nice." Tohma suggested, nudging the door with his foot.

Yuki ignored the overwhelmingly impulse to inform Tohma that they were not friends and offer him a better descriptor. He kept his mouth firmly shut and leaned against the wall next to the door, trying to wait out the muttering vizier.

After ten minutes, it was clear that this plan was not going to work.

"OI! I'm still out here!" Tohma yelled, kicking the door. He'd abandoned all attempts at niceties five minutes ago when the street rat had used a few choice words to shoo him off.

"I'm well aware."

"Open the door!"

"No."

"Or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll go tell Mika that you're planning on running away."

"Dammit…" Yuki hissed under his breath. He had no idea how long Caspian had been in the suite, and he must have overheard the entirety of his fight with K. "Fine, fine…"

"Hmph." Tohma returned, holding his head up and high-stepping across the threshold. "See now, wasn't that easy?"

"Cut to the chase." Yuki told Tohma, shutting the door firmly behind the vizier, but not before Caspian scuttled in and hid behind a potted ficus.

"Well I just wanted to offer my congratulations, I heard about the engagement." Tohma said smoothly, surreptitiously glancing around the room for his parroty accomplice.

"Whatever. You done now?" Yuki spat, avoiding eye contact. He didn't want to let Tohma in on anymore than he already knew.

"No, no, of course not! We have so much to discuss."

"No, we don't." Yuki said, waving his hands. The last thing he needed was Tohma hindering his escape.

"Listen, street rat, sit. We have unfinished business. I know you have that lamp, I know that your little assistant is the genie, and all I have to do is have a conversation with Mika. Don't push me."

"Then go talk to her, just get it over with already." Yuki challenged, knowing full well that Tohma was bluffing. If it was that simple, he would've gone to the Sultana ages ago instead of trying to kill him secretly.

"I…" Tohma stammered, cursing his big mouth. He hadn't intended on making empty threats, and he hadn't thought that one through. Of course he couldn't go tell Mika what was really happening, she'd never believe him. She'd kill him, research it herself, discover that he was right, and then believe him, but by then he'd be headless.

"Well, go on." Yuki pushed, flopping onto a couch and smirking at Tohma.

Caspian took the momentary distraction to dash out from behind the potted plant. He skittered around the edge of the room making sure to stay well-hidden in the shadows.

"Let's not involve Mika in something we can handle ourselves. I merely wanted to, as I said, congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials." Tohma said in an attempt to smooth things over.

"Then get lost, you've already done that twice now." Yuki told Tohma with a frustrated tone, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "And if you're not going to do anything about it, which you obviously aren't, then there was no point, and is not point, in discussing the lamp or the genie."

"That's my lamp!" Tohma squalled, losing his temper and stepping towards Yuki. "You stole it!"

"Correction, Ryuichi stole it. I merely aided and abetted."

"Tohma…" Caspian muttered, searching for the lamp a little more frantically than before. Tohma was losing it, and it was up to him to end this mission before anyone died.

He scanned the room from the corner and uttered a string of expletives under his breath when he found it. The lamp was sitting on an end table beside the street rat's couch. He stayed still for a few seconds, trying to figure out his next course of action. Before he could decide on a reasonable course of action, however, Tohma started twitching and he knew he had to move no matter what.

"You…you…" Tohma stalled, clenching his jaw in an effort to control his tongue. He balled his hands into fists and gurgled, glaring at the lounging street rat, who was smiling at him amusedly.

Tohma puffed out his chest and averted his eyes, unable to take what Yuki was dishing out. As soon as he looked away from the gloating faker, he noticed Caspian jumping up and down on the floor, desperately trying to hook his beak on the bottom shelf of the end table holding the lamp. Seeing their plan unraveling yet again snapped Tohma out of his funk and he quickly formulated a plan of action. He had to distract Yuki away from the end table long enough for Caspian to steal the lamp.

"This has gone on long enough…just get out." Yuki told Tohma exasperatedly. He'd watched the vizier twitch and stammer for a few minutes, and the fun of it all was quickly wearing off. He didn't think Tohma would back off if he threatened him, and he knew that calling the guards would be pointless. By the time they showed up, it would probably be time for the conference. His only option was to bluff with K, and he sincerely hoped that Caspian had neglected to tell Tohma about the ending of the fight. "Get out or I'll have to call the genie."

"Yeah, right, after that little fight? I don't think so street rat." Tohma sneered, waggling his head from side to side and ruffling up his boa. The more dramatic, the more incensed Yuki would eventually be, and that would give Caspian more time to pull off the heist.

"Damn…" Yuki muttered, glaring at Tohma. His plan had backfired, and now he was the one looking like a royal fool. He bit his tongue to keep quiet and debated the merits of killing Tohma and forgoing his amnesty. The way he saw it, it just might be worth the risk.

"Gotcha…" Caspian murmured, finally scrambling onto the bottom shelf. Tohma was still fluffing himself, looking entirely too pleased.

Caspian made quick work of the shelf and was soon peering over the edge of the table, watching Yuki's every move. If the street rat were to catch on, they might actually die.

"Anything else to threaten me with? Hiding any other mythical creatures under a rug or something?" Tohma asked Yuki seriously, nodding sympathetically when Yuki glared at him. "Thought so."

"I don't need the genie to deal with you." Yuki growled, launching off of the couch and advancing on Tohma.

"Don't make me get violent!" Tohma screeched, his voice a few pitches higher than normal.

Yuki didn't answer Tohma's weak command and kept moving towards the vizier, not caring one bit that he'd have to live his entire life on the run for what he was about to do. It would all be worth it.

As soon as Yuki was focused enough on Tohma, Caspian swung himself onto the shelf and made a run for the lamp, not entirely sure what he was going to do once he got a hold of it. He wrapped his talons around one of the gems but quickly lost his grip and started cursing under his breath. He tried grabbing the trigger guard next, followed soon after by an attempt on the handle.

"Dammit…" Caspian murmured, restraining himself from kicking the lamp. As tempting as it was, he'd broken enough toes to know better.

He gave up trying to lift the lamp and resorted to pushing it around feebly on the table, wondering if he could get it to the edge and if Yuki would notice when he did. The street rat was currently occupied with cornering Tohma, something that was much easier said than done. He threw all of his body weight against the lamp and grunted, trying desperately to scoot it to the edge of the table. If he could somehow signal to Tohma to make a loud noise or some other such distraction, he could chuck it off the edge and then try his luck with stealing it.

Once he had the lamp in position, he clambered on top of it and tried jumping up and down to catch Tohma's eye.

"There's no need for violence, I just wanted to have a nice little chat!" Tohma squealed, pelting around a few potted plants to confuse his rabid pursuer.

"NO! STOP RUNNING SO I CAN KILL YOU!" Yuki roared, ripping off his shoe and throwing it at Tohma.

Caspian continued his jumping, wishing that Yuki would move and stop blocking Tohma. If he didn't get the lamp soon, then the plan was going to fail. Yuki didn't have the longest fuse, and it was even shorter in the presence of Tohma. Caspian stopped jumping and quickly considered his other options.

"Any last words?" Yuki panted, having finally trapped Tohma in a corner of the suite.

Tohma's eyes got wider by the second as he desperately searched for a way out. The entire idea had been to keep Yuki calm and that had clearly backfired. Caspian hadn't gotten anywhere near the door and Yuki was not making things easy.

"Guess not." Yuki said, cracking his knuckles and moving in for the kill.

"FRUIT LOOPS!" Caspian screamed, losing it in the moment. As much as Tohma drove him crazy, he was the supplier of the food stuffs and he desperately needed a diversion to save his skin. "FRUIT LOOPS!"

"What the hell?" Yuki asked, spinning around and laying eyes on the feathered varmint.

"Po, wrong word!" Tohma said exasperatedly, smacking his forehead into his palm and completely forgetting about the murderous street rat in front of him. "Caspian, you have to pay more attention- CASPIAN! BANANA!"

Yuki had changed directions almost instantly, panicking when he saw what Caspian was standing on. If the lamp fell into his claws or Tohma's gloves, he was doomed. Forget getting out of the palace without Shuichi knowing; if he lost the lamp, his life was over.

"BIRD!" Yuki yelled, catapulting over the couch and continuing his agitated beeline towards Caspian.

"BANANA! BANANA!" Caspian screeched, frantically trying to fly with his feet still clutching the heavy lamp. "BANANA!"

"Caspian!" Tohma called out, flooded with worry for his bird. Acting on instinct, he threw himself at the street rat and took hold soon as he reached him.

"GET OFF!" Yuki yelled, swatting backwards at Tohma and spinning to throw the vizier off.

"Run for it Casp!"

"I CAN'T! WE DON'T THE LAMP!" Caspian bellowed at Tohma, puffing up to maximum capacity in a parrot-contrived attempt to scare off Yuki.

Tohma held on for dear life while Yuki did a few more haphazard spins and let the overworked wheels in his head turn. He had to get to the lamp, Caspian couldn't manage on his own.

"Gotcha…" Tohma whispered, landing on another hare-brained scheme. He waited for Yuki to take a breather and jammed his thumbs into the street rat's eyes. Once the street rat was blinded, he kicked off of the nearest bit of furniture and started steering the cursing princeling towards the lamp and the puffed up conure.

"OUCH! STOP IT!" Yuki screamed, trying to fall to his knees to bring Tohma down but immediately ceased his efforts when Tohma started kicking him in the back of the knees.

"Just a bit farther…" Caspian said quietly, waiting with bated breath. As soon as Tohma got closer, he was going to join the attack. He couldn't risk leaving the lamp or he would've already been scuttling down Yuki's shirt with some questionable motives.

"NOW!" Tohma signaled Caspian, sensing the bird's desire to feast. He jumped backwards off of Yuki and grabbed the lamp. Once he had it secured he ran pell-mell for the door, wanting only the sweet, sweet victory of freedom.

Caspian didn't answer and instead flew into Yuki's face, flapping violently.

"NO!" Yuki yelled, swatting Caspian out of the air with a lucky shot. He couldn't see what was happening, but Tohma's victory whoops could only mean one thing. "TOHMA!"

Caspian recovered in midair and flew after his owner, cackling insanely.

Yuki stumbled after the duo, trying to make out the room but only bringing up fuzzy outlines. He staggered out into the hallway and lumbered after the sound of Caspian's cackling, wishing that the vizier had done anything but blind him.

"Dammit…" Yuki cursed under his breath, stumbling down the hallway.

Caspian's laughter was fading fast and he knew that it would be hopeless to try to follow them. They'd have K on their side soon and he'd be no match in his best condition, let alone like this. He stopped and swayed on the spot, feeling lightheaded. He tried to sort out his priorities, and he tried to quiet the panic that was rising in his chest. Now that Tohma and Caspian had the lamp, he had to move quickly. He had to leave the palace or he was finished. He had no idea if they'd let him be if he managed to escape, but it was worth a shot.

He tried to navigate his way back to the suite, but he was completely disoriented. The floor was the same color as the ceiling and the walls, and he had no idea how he was going to find his way back.

"I think it's this way…" Yuki muttered. Using his instincts, he turned to his right and promptly face-planted into the wall, knocking himself unconscious.

* * *

FINALLY! VICTORY IS MINE! Well, Tohma and Caspian's at least…so, so, so, so sorry it took me this long to update. I got really distracted with the aftermath of Naka-Kon and actually landed myself a real person job. Plus my last class started late this semester, and it kinda coincided with a bunch of other occurrences. Basically, sorry, I'll try harder, and the story is reaching its conclusion…hopefully.

In other news, if anyone attended Naka-Kon, I was the female Dante charging around with Lady, Vergil, and Jareth the Goblin King. Oh, guess I was Sarah from the Labyrinth on Friday night…forgot about that costume. Just a random tidbit.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter,

Amaya


	32. Chapter 27

"Tohma, you magnificent bastard!"

"Caspian, you delightful little freak!"

"VICTORY!" the two sang out, each dancing around the office in their own special ways. The lamp was sitting on Tohma's desk on a red velvet pillow, and Tohma kept petting it when he thought Caspian was too busy dancing to watch.

"Tohma, stop fondling the lamp, you're going to piss off the genie." Caspian warned from his cage, ceasing his hopping to snipe Tohma.

"Let him be pissed, doesn't matter, we have the lamp. And besides, unless he can hear me in there, he's not coming out. He still thinks he's with that street rat." Tohma shot back at the bird, adjusting his clothes and fluffing his boa back up. The celebrations had rendered him disheveled.

"I can't believe we pulled this off…" Caspian muttered after a while, tiring of Tohma's constant primping. "I mean, we have the lamp, we're not dead, the street rat is stumbling around blind, the Prince has no idea what's going on, and I repeat, we're not dead…"

"I know, Po, I know…" Tohma said in an awed tone, admiring the lamp on its pillow. "Shall we, birdface?"

"Let's." Caspian answered, flying over to Tohma's desk and alighting on the edge of the pillow.

"Okay, let's get this thing to Mika." Tohma said, scooping up the lamp and heading for the door.

"NO!" Caspian shouted, flapping onto Tohma's hand and biting ferociously. "After everything we've done?! It's OURS!"

"No, bird, it's hers!"

"NO IT'S NOT!"

"Caspian!"

"TOHMA!" Caspian retorted, violently, twittering madly and holding on for dear life to Tohma's hand. "LISTEN!"

"WHAT?" Tohma yelled at Caspian, trying to fling the bird off. "LET GO, DAMMIT!"

"We've worked way too hard to let her have it!" Caspian argued, releasing Tohma's hand and jumping back to the desk. "She didn't believe you when you said the street rat had it, she abandoned you in that throne room, hell, Tohma, she had you arrested!"

"So?"

"So?! She doesn't deserve that lamp! She doesn't love you! She's just using you!"

"That's not true!" Tohma shouted, scowling at the insolent parrot.

"It's not?" Caspian pressed. "Really, Tohma?"

"She does!"

"Has she ever told you that? Has she ever thanked you for anything?" Caspian asked. When Tohma didn't reply, he plowed on. "Who trekked across the desert for years, trying to find that cave?"

"I did…"

"Who found the right person to go in there?"

"I did…"

"Who tried to protect her from that lying, cheating rat?"

"I did."

"Who spent all that time trying to get the lamp back without worrying her, huh?"

"I did."

"Who drove himself insane trying to live up to her expectations?"

"I did!"

"Who got the lamp? Who has the lamp?"

"I did! I do!"

"Exactly! She didn't do anything for it! It's ours!"

"Yeah!" Tohma agreed, jumping up and down with the excitement of it all.

Mika had done nothing but insult him since the beginning of the hunt, and he'd received no thanks for his efforts. She'd called him a liar, she'd turned her back on him in front of everyone, she'd called him names, she'd ignored him when he finally snapped under the pressures of it all, she'd completely left everything up to him and blamed it all on him when it backfired. He had spent the last few years of his life devoted to her and had never once questioned it. Now that he was seeing the dark side of things, he regretted his blind following. He could have been using his resources for his own gain, not for hers, and his life could have been so much different.

"It's my turn…" Tohma muttered, the crazed look coming back into his face.

"That's it, Tohma, that's it!" Caspian cheered from the desk, thrilled with his meddling.

"Shut it, you." Tohma ordered, snapping his fingers and conjuring ropes around Caspian's beak. Now that he felt so free, so alive, he could feel the power coursing through him.

"MMMPH!" Caspian snarled, unable to speak and not happy about it. Now that he'd incited a peasant rebellion, he wanted to be part of the bloodshed.

"Show time…" Tohma whispered, picking up the lamp and holding it gingerly in his hand. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, waiting for his destiny.

"OI! What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't just summon me anytime you like, no after what you-" K ranted, billowing out of his lamp and glaring like a pissed off cat. "You're not Eiri."

"Obviously, genie." Tohma said, smirking with the thrill of it all. He was winning.

"Why do you have the lamp? Where's Yuki?" K questioned, pulling out his gun and aiming it at Tohma's forehead. "Speak."

"I think you're confused." Tohma stated, grabbing the end of K's gun and pushing it away. "I'm the one in charge, I own you now."

"NO ONE OWNS ME!"

"Oh really?" Tohma replied, smug as ever. "Let's test that theory, shall we?"

"MMMPH!" Caspian screeched again, wanting to be in on the wishes. If it weren't for him, Mika would've had the lamp by now.

"Not you, it's my lamp, remember?" Tohma told Caspian, tired of the bird's incessant nagging.

"Genie, I wish for real magic. I want real powers, ones that don't change depending on my mood, the time change, or the altitude. I want to be the real deal, get it?"

"I…you…you're not…" K sputtered, trying to resist the call of the wish. The lamp bound him to his masters though, and he ultimately had no choice. He sighed, closed his eyes, and snapped his fingers.

Tohma gasped with the sensation of it; he could feel his feet leave the floor, and he could sense that something was different. He'd felt some of his powers return earlier, but this was entirely different. He landed a few seconds later, itching to try out his new powers.

"Oh Caspian…" Tohma cooed, rolling up his sleeves and advancing on the now-fleeing bird.

"MMMMMPPPPHHH!"

"Now, wait a minute…we need to go over the rules…" K suggested, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. No matter how upset he was with Yuki, he didn't want Tohma to trample him while drunk with power.

"Silence!" Tohma commanded, miming a mouth closing with his hand and watching, delighted, as K's mouth snapped shut and remained that way. "Alright, bird, come hither."

In response to Tohma's words, Caspian involuntarily zoomed across the office and landed with a soft splat in Tohma's hand. He looked up at Tohma with a mournful expression, starting to regret all of his snarky words.

"It's alright Po." Tohma said after a few minutes of silence. He'd planned on permanently silencing the annoying creature, but one look into the bird's sad eyes had changed that. If any one creature had been there for him through thick and thin, it was Caspian. "Here, you can talk again."

Tohma tapped the ropes around Caspian's beak lightly with his pointer finger and they fell away, re-gifting the bird his gab. Off to the side, K rolled his eyes. He knew that Ryuichi could be pretty melodramatic, but these two took the cake.

"'bout time, you moron." Caspian immediately spat out, opening and closing his beak to make sure that all the binders were indeed gone. Once he passed his self-inflicted inspection, he flew off to his cage to put some distance between himself and the feathered sorcerer.

"Thanks a lot for the sentiment." Tohma replied, glaring at Caspian and shaking his head. "Guess I can't really expect much more from you."

"Obviously." Caspian answered, shaking off the episode. He'd known that Tohma would come to his senses before he did anything drastic, he hadn't worried once, hadn't even felt flustered. He cleared his throat and ruffled himself up to bolster his inner posturing. "N-n-now what?"

"Stuttering?" Tohma noted, smiling wide at the panicked parrot.

"Lies." Caspian returned shiftily, avoiding Tohma's eye. He had no idea what had saved his green ass, but he was glad for it. As much as he tried to reassure himself that Tohma would never turn on him, there'd been something different in his handling. Some switch had been flipped, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a potential disaster.

"Whatever, we need to get moving. I have a bone to pick with our darling Sultana." Tohma told Caspian, fluffing his boa and pacing.

"Tohma?" Caspian questioned, leaning over the side of his cage and peering over at his owner. "You feeling alright?"

"Never better bird. This is how it's supposed to be, this is how it's supposed to work out." Tohma replied, feeling the fire rising in his gut. He hadn't felt so empowered in years, and he was loving every second of it. "We're done screwing up, Caspian, we're done taking orders from her, got it?"

Unable to speak, K was about to burst. Tohma's eyes were glinting in a weird way, and the bird looked like he was about to explode. K sighed silently and shook his head, wishing that Yuki hadn't been such a moron. He had no idea how the power tripping idiots had gotten a hold of his lamp, but Yuki was in for one hell of a lecture next time they came face to face.

"Got it." Caspian responded, inwardly rejoicing. Tohma had been like this in the beginning, and Mika had worn him down over the years. He'd become cowed, deranged, and incompetent under her influence. Now that Tohma had been given real powers and been unleashed upon the world, he couldn't wait to be a part of the dream team. "Have a plan?"

"We're going to crash her little party that we weren't invited to. Again. We're calling her out in front of her entourage, and we're nabbing that damned rat if he's stupid enough to show up there. Just kill all the birds with a gigantic stone." Tohma informed Caspian, ruffling through their old planning notes to see if he'd missed any good ideas. "Think that'll do?"

"With your new fireworks, we're set for life. Forget the old shenanigans." Caspian twittered, shaking with the excitement of it all. They were invincible now that Tohma had legitimate skills and a genie to back them up.

K rolled his eyes again, hoping that Mika could take what Tohma and Caspian were planning on dishing out. Knowing them, it could be anything from a booby-trapped fruit basket to a full-scale invasion complete with trebuchets.

"Alright then. Genie, let's get this show on the road." Tohma called out, signaling K. "We need a big entrance, I have business to settle with Mika and that street rat."

K looked over at Tohma and slowly blinked, waiting for Tohma to realize that he was still silenced.

"Genie? You deaf or something?" Tohma questioned, narrowing his eyes at the incompetent magical being.

K raised his eyebrows, rolled his eyes, and pointed to his lips when Tohma continued to stare at him like a child stalking a lollipop.

"Oh, right…" Tohma said sheepishly, shuffling around and looking at his feet. He cleared his throat and stared back at K, wondering how to un-silence someone.

"Tohma, let him talk!" Caspian ordered, feeling impatient. He was eager to knock Mika down a few pegs, and Tohma was hindering their sweet, sweet victory.

"How do I undo that spell?" Tohma asked K quietly, sidling over to him in the hope that Caspian wouldn't overhear.

K mimicked the hand motion that Tohma had used in the first place and performed the opposite, sighing heavily when it took Tohma a few go rounds to understand.

"Oh!" Tohma finally exclaimed, thrilled with his own brilliance. He immediately un-jinxed K and deliberately avoided Caspian's eye. The parrot was muttering something about how not even genies could fix some people and he really didn't want to hear the rest.

"Not going to help you unless you use a wish." K stated, feeling grumpy. He opened and closed his mouth a few times to regain the feeling in his jaw and watched Tohma, waiting for a response.

"What? You have to listen to me!"

"No, I don't, actually." K informed Tohma, sitting on the edge of the desk and picking at his nails. "Say your right words."

"You stupid genie! Do what I say!"

"Hmm, now, that didn't quite sound right…" K muttered, crossing his legs and jingling his foot impatiently.

"You!"

"Yes?"

"Dammit…" Tohma cursed, ignoring the laughing bird behind him. "Fine! I wish to takeover Agrabah! I want to call her out, I want to get the city, and I want you to protect me from her."

"Sounds good. Let's get this thing going then." K said, rolling up his sleeves. As much as he hated being attached to Tohma and Caspian, it would feel nice to get some revenge on Mika for all the hoops she'd made him jump through with Yuki. "What kind of an entrance?"

"Something with firepower, something with real pizzazz." Tohma answered, eyes squeezed shut and hands waving wildly out in front, drawing out his mad scheme.

"That's my specialty."

"And mine." Caspian interjected, sensing that he was in danger of being replaced. "I can make explosions!"

"We know, bird." Tohma replied. "I just want to crash that announcement, I want to embarrass her in front of the council. I need to make her look like a fool, just like she did to me for all of those years. I'm not her little jester anymore, I have real power, and she needs to regret taking me for granted!"

"Preach it, man!" Caspian sang out, jumping around on his cage. Once he ceased his celebratory dancing, he pulled out some sketches and flew over to K. "These need to happen."

"No, no, no, nothing that elaborate." Tohma said immediately, putting the kibosh on Caspian's scheming. Something was telling him that this needed to be a little more low-key. He had a feeling, and he knew from past mistakes that he needed to act on it. "No, this needs to be more personal, nothing too fancy. Seriously, bird."

"You didn't even look at them!" Caspian squalled indignantly.

"I don't have to!" Tohma shot back, crossing his arms and glaring at the bird.

"Let's play nice kids…" K attempted, used to Yuki and Ryuichi squabbling but unsure of how to deal with it on this level. He glanced through Caspian's sketches and breathed a sigh of relief that Tohma was overruling him. They ranged from song lyrics to catapult blueprints, and K was terrified of what would happen if Caspian were put in charge.

"Stay out of this!"Tohma yelled, cutting off K.

"Shut it!" Caspian screeched simultaneously, his voice getting close to cracking.

"Enough, bird. Listen – " Tohma started, wanting to explain exactly what he wanted to K.

"NO! You said you wanted pizzazz!"

"Yeah, but not your brand!"

"HEY!"

"I WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE!" Tohma yelled, jumping up and down and spitting like a frenzied cat, successfully dislodging a few of his boa feathers. He hadn't been able to put legitimate emotion to the feeling until now, and it was one of pride. He wanted Mika to be genuinely scared, he didn't want to hear anyone laugh, and he would absolutely die if someone tried to mock him this time around.

"Gonna need more than me for that to happen…" K muttered, any enthusiasm he'd had for working with the dastardly duo fading entirely. "Why don't you compromise? Let him do one or two ideas? Maybe?"

"NO! This needs to be perfect!" Tohma countered, straightening up and glaring at K and Caspian. He wiped the froth off of his face and re-adjusted his boa, making sure that he still looked impeccable.

"I'm not helping if you don't!" Caspian yelled, puffing up in response to Tohma's posturing.

"Bird." Tohma said through gritted teeth, trying to stare down his parrot.

Caspian stared back, unwilling to give up the compromise idea. He wasn't thrilled with K's inclusion into their plotting, but at least this way he might get some say in their grand takeover.

"Fine, fine, I don't care anymore…" Tohma conceded, sighing and shaking his head. "Just…whatever."

"OK! I want an outfit! If we can't blow things up, I at least want to look snazzy." Caspian replied, flipping through his sketches. He'd never had an occasion to dress up, and Tohma was always getting to put on all sorts of things. For once, he wanted to be in the spotlight. "That one!"

"An outfit? Bird, you don't even know what that is." Tohma sniped, feeling pissy now that his plan had been trod on.

"Okay, I can do that…" K told Caspian, taking down some notes on the sketch. "Anything else you want to do?"

"When we call out that lying rat, I want to make a huge deal about it. I want Mika to know exactly how much of an idiot she was for trusting him, and I want to make him look like a fool in front of everyone that manages to stay in the room…" Caspian mused, flipping onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "I know he's already out to get us, but I want him to really want the kill after this one. Especially now that he can't do anything about it."

"Vengeful much?" K asked, casting a worried glance at Caspian. He'd dealt with maniacs in the past, and Yuki hadn't been a pleasure cruise, but he wasn't really sure if he could handle the combined lunacy of vizier and conure.

"You stayed with him for a while, what'll piss him off?" Caspian asked K, remaining on his back and feeling extraordinarily calm for such bloodthirsty plotting. K was warm, and his shoulder made an excellent napping spot.

"I don't know, you want annoyed or livid? Embarrassed or scarred?" K pushed, falling into a chair and chewing on his writing utensil.

"All of the above."

"Only one thing to do, then." K said quietly, leaning back and remembering some of Yuki's worst times. The first time that he'd met the unfortunate street rat, he'd tried to sing him a song and he'd almost walked away from his wishes. Whenever Ryuichi tried to sing about anything, he'd leave the room or hide from embarrassment, and he was still convinced that the breaking point for the poor guy had been when he and Ryuichi had composed and carried out his parade song. "You gotta sing at him."

"What?" Tohma asked incredulously, popping up from behind his desk. He'd been ruffling through old paperwork for lack of something better to do, and had been purposefully avoiding joining the conversation as a protest. "You've got to be kidding, I said serious! I'm tired of being the comic relief in this place!"

"Calm down, it'll be terrifying." K said in a dull voice, getting used to Tohma's squalling.

"It'd better be!" Tohma huffed at K, disappearing behind his desk again.

"Which song do you want to go with? You have several possibilities here…" K asked Caspian, poking him with a quill. "Hey, don't fall asleep up there."

"Hmm?" Caspian murmured groggily, rolling himself back over to prevent drooling. "I like the third one on there…"

"You actually wrote songs? Caspian…" Tohma sighed from his desk, wondering if he could exchange Caspian for a goldfish.

"That sounds like a plan, then." K said loudly, clapping his hands and getting out of his chair. "You can have a cool costume, a jaunty little tune, and you can have a seriously frightening entrance. OK?"

"Alright." Tohma agreed, speaking for himself and Caspian, who immediately started marching up and down K's arm and shoulder, humming his song to himself.

"Doesn't sound too bad, shouldn't take long." K responded to Caspian, trying to decide how to feel about this. He and Yuki weren't especially close, and he didn't feel the need to make up and play nice, but then again, working happily with Tohma didn't quite sit right with him. He glanced over at the parading parrot on his shoulder and really wished that Yuki hadn't been so careless with the lamp; this wasn't going to end well for anyone.

* * *

It's always nice to see the crazy ones get their day, right? Well, it's coming, that's for sure. Just a warning, the next chapter (which is somehow magically already written) actually made me cry. Granted, I cried at How to Train Your Dragon and I bawled like a baby at Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Not to mention what happens to me if you even show me the case for Fox and the Hound. *tears up* Dang it.

Anywho, I was not planning on this next chapter at all, it was one of those things that just pours out of you one night. Knowing sappy ol' me, I'll be the only one that feels anything from it, but whatever, it is what it is. Enjoy guys, and know that I'm serious when I say I'm almost done with this monstrosity. As of now, I'm sitting in microeconomics, typing away at the intro to the big fight scene where Tohma magically turns into something spectacular. :D

Over and out,

Amaya


	33. Chapter 28

Shuichi silently watched the guard approach, knowing what was coming next. Mika had warned them all about the announcement, and Shuichi had been dreading it ever since Yuki had disappeared. He had no idea where his fiancé was, and he had no idea if he could even call him that anymore. He'd looked so conflicted during and after the conference, and Shuichi didn't know what to think anymore.

He'd spent the time between Mika's meetings with Cinda, and he'd allowed his mind to wander back through the last month and before. He would've rather been with Yuki, trying to figure out what was happening in his head, but that was out of the question. He was starting to doubt that he'd ever be allowed to help his lover like that, even if they did end up married.

He sighed and lifted himself off of the fountain's edge, waving goodbye to Cinda as he traipsed across the courtyard toward the guard.

"She's ready for you, majesty." The guard said, bowing slightly and gesturing towards the palace.

"Figured." Shuichi answered gruffly, his voice scratchy from lack of use.

"Do you know where Prince Eiri is? I've had some trouble tracking him down." The guard added, hoping that Shuichi could help him. If not, the Sultana might have his head. She wanted the evening to go perfectly and had expressly threatened everyone involved beforehand.

"No, I haven't seen him." Shuichi answered tonelessly, sighing. That wasn't a good sign. "I'll go and look for him."

"Thanks, much appreciated." The guard replied, feeling relieved and scurrying out of the courtyard before Shuichi could change his mind.

He didn't usually help out the guards with their Mika assignments, but this one was a little more personal and he'd seemed really worried about what Mika might do to him if he came back short a Prince.

He headed for the suite first, unaware of any of Yuki's other hiding places. When he'd run off in the past, he'd only been found when he'd wanted to be, and Shuichi hoped for everyone's sake that this wasn't going to be one of those times. His melancholy continued as he meandered through the sprawling palace, only staying vaguely connected to anything in his vicinity.

"Maybe Hiro should've stayed…" Shuichi muttered to no one in particular. He was grasping at straws, and he knew it, but he had to try something, anything, to get his mind off of Yuki's unhappiness. "Maybe he would've been happy here…"

He continued that line of thinking for the next few steps, and when his tears threatened to overpower him, he stopped and tried to reason out what has happening to his life. His lame attempts at convincing himself that things should've been different had been bringing him to the edge of despair all afternoon, and this time, they'd finally won.

"No, that's not right, I wouldn't have been happy…" he managed to choke out, sliding down onto the floor. "I need Yuki…"

He stayed there for a few minutes, trying to get himself under control. Ever since Yuki had brushed him off in the entrance hall, he'd been on an emotional roller coaster. Part of him felt terribly guilty for saying yes without really thinking it through, part of him was angry at Yuki for never letting him know what he was thinking or feeling, and par t of him wished that none of it had happened. Sure, it'd been the best month of his life, but he wasn't convinced that this hurt was worth it.

He absolutely could not stand the thought of Yuki being unhappy, and it tore him up. He didn't care what happened to him, but his entire life hinged on how Yuki felt. Deep inside, he knew it was pathetic to put someone else so far ahead of his own wellbeing, but that didn't change anything. His entire world revolved around Yuki, and if the street rat wasn't content, then he never could be.

As much as he wanted to marry Yuki and stay with him forever, forcing him into a life he didn't want wasn't worth it. He couldn't hurt Yuki, he couldn't make him feel as trapped as he himself had felt for his entire life. The very idea of it made him sick, made him feel like his heart was being repeatedly ripped out and thrown back in. He knew that breaking off the engagement could mean losing him forever, but that was something he had to accept. No matter what, Yuki's happiness had to come before his own or he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

He kept repeating that thought over and over, trying vainly to convince himself that he could live without Yuki, that he could give him up for eternity and marry someone else. The one constant in the situation was the fact that he had to get married. Mika would probably have a heart attack if he broke off his engagement, but he knew without a doubt that Hiro would be back within the week if he did. He'd never love Hiro like he loved Yuki, that was unthinkably impossible, but he'd have to try.

He bit his lip to keep the tears back, and tried to keep his selfish side from piping up. If Yuki didn't want to stay and marry him, then he'd have to settle for Hiro and try to make a life that way. He kept telling himself that Yuki living the life he really wanted would be worth it, but it was much harder than he'd thought it would be. He tried not to reflect on the last month, and he tried not to picture his room without Yuki's possessions.

However, as soon as he thought of waking up alone or with someone else, he lost it. He sobbed uncontrollably, shaking with the effort of repressing his agonized screams. He hadn't the slightest idea of how he would survive without his love, or if he even could. He didn't know how to live without Yuki, and before today, he'd never considered having to. Even though they'd never discussed the future, his happy little mind had never gotten close to thinking about a life without Yuki in it.

He clapped his hands over his mouth to keep from whimpering and desperately tried to calm down. His delayed reaction did not change his plan, and he had to see it through no matter what. If Yuki didn't want him, and he most likely didn't, he had to accept it and learn how to adjust to a new life. He had to fall back into living a lie, and he had to move on. He'd never seen someone look so panicked and so sad all at once, and his hopes for keeping his lover with him were fading faster by the second.

He stayed on the ground for a little longer, waiting to regain some control. He couldn't face Yuki like this, he couldn't let him know how upset he was. The last thing he wanted to do now was guilt trip him into staying. In order to fool the master of charades, he had to get back into his positive frame of mind, he had to be energetic and smiling. He closed his eyes and did some deep breathing, slowing his heartbeat and allowing him to concentrate on the task at hand.

He tried to think of happy thoughts to bring the smile back to his face, but he couldn't drag any out of his head. All he could think about was facing his empty room and his soon-to-be-empty life. He kept his eyes closed, allowing his hands to fall to the ground limply. He couldn't fight off the tears, and every few seconds new ones trailed down his face.

"I can't do this…" Shuichi whispered, his voice breaking. "I can't live without him…"

Saying the words aloud only made it hurt more, and he doubled over with the pain of it. It felt like someone was slowly ripping him apart, and he didn't think he'd ever get all of himself back.

"He's still here, he's still here…" Shuichi repeated softly, trying to reassure himself. "Breathe…breathe…he's still here, you have to breathe…"

He was secretly terrified of what would happen to him if Yuki really did leave, as the mere thought of it was about to kill him, but he refused to let that thought stew in his head. No matter what, he still had to go to Mika's announcement, and before he could do that, he had to find Yuki. He stood up slowly and leaned against a wall, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

He steadied himself and pushed off of the wall, eager to get the evening over with. After some thought, the only happy notion he could find was the opposite of what was tearing him up. If Yuki stayed, then his life was made. If the love of his life chose to stay in it, he couldn't imagine anything that could make him happier. He'd said yes after all, so surely he wanted to stay, and Shuichi repeated these words to himself over and over as he wound his way to the suite. It was far-fetched, and part of him knew that, but it was the only thing that he had to keep him on his feet. He had to stay positive, as he wasn't sure he could face the negative again.

When he reached the hallway leading to the suite, he stopped and took another deep breath, preparing for whatever he might find. He turned the corner without looking and promptly toppled over, his foot having connected with something soft and squishy instead of the hard marble floor.

"What the hell?" Shuichi mumbled, rubbing his head and rolling over, wondering what was going on. The palace was usually immaculate, and he couldn't fathom what could've interrupted his walk. "Wait…Yuki?"

The lumpy object was human-shaped, and Shuichi would've known that form anywhere. All of his earlier concerns vanished instantly. Something was wrong, he could feel it, and he needed to be completely present.

"Yuki? You're not dead are you?" Shuichi asked, panic starting to take over. He'd trod on him pretty hard, and Yuki hadn't even twitched. He gulped and bit his lip again, praying that he didn't start crying again. He had to stay focused. "Please don't be dead again…"

Shuichi slid over to Yuki's head and started poking his face gently, trying to elicit a response without earning himself instant death upon his lover's return to consciousness. When he still got no response, he started rubbing Yuki's ears from a slight distance, ready to bolt for all he was worth if Yuki woke up yelling. After a few seconds of continued stillness from the older man, Shuichi was starting to get truly concerned. If Yuki had been playing dead to freak him out, he never would've stayed still this long, not after an ear assault.

"Eiri?" Shuichi whispered, the panic starting to build. As he sat and watched Yuki's unmoving form, he could feel it starting to overwhelm him, and after a few more minutes, he lost all control. "WAKE UP MAN!"

Shuichi grabbed Yuki's collar and shook him violently, desperate for him to wake up.

"NOW! WAKE UP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Shuichi screamed, afraid that something more serious than he'd originally wagered was going on. Yuki never stayed out this long, not after all the tactics he'd employed. "STOP SLEEPING!"

Shuichi dropped Yuki and let the latter slump to the floor. He ran his hands through his hair a few times, still fighting back the tears. He didn't know what to do, and he didn't function well under this kind of pressure. If something was really wrong with Yuki, he had no idea how to help him and K wasn't anywhere to be seen. Plus, if he was much later to Mika's announcement than he already was, he was looking at a public execution with his name on it.

He leaned back and rocked on his heels, thinking as hard as he could. Yuki'd passed out on him a few times over the last couple of weeks, and there were a few methods he hadn't tried. He took a few more deep breaths and prepared for the plunge, hoping that it worked and that he didn't get murdered later.

"You did this to yourself, you know…I told you to wake up…" Shuichi muttered, his hair frazzled and one eye twitching. "It's your own fault…"

He leaned forward and then jumped back, unable to psych himself up for it. Yuki hated it when he did this, and he wasn't sure if this was that kind of emergency yet. Even with Mika's axe hanging over his head, he was still scared of what Yuki might do to him.

"Come on, don't make me do this…" Shuichi moaned, poking Yuki's face and ears again. "Dammit…fine."

Shuichi leaned in quickly and bit Yuki's earlobe, wincing as he did it. This had never failed him, and if Yuki was in the least bit alive, this was sure to bring him out of his coma.

"ARGH!" Yuki yelled, sitting straight up and swinging at the air around him. "WHAT THE F-"

"I'M SORRY!" Shuichi squealed, falling over backwards in an attempt to get out of Yuki's range. "YOU WERE DEAD, I HAD TO!"

"Shuichi…" Yuki muttered, rubbing his ear and glaring at the cowering Prince.

"I'M SORRY!"

"Breathe." Yuki told Shuichi, wanting the screaming to stop. He had a killer headache from his unfortunate encounter with the wall, and Shuichi's high-pitched screeching was not helping. He didn't know why Shuichi was in this hallway, or how he'd managed to find him, but in any case, it wasn't good.

"You're not mad? I'm not going to die?" Shuichi asked, eyes wide and brimming with tears. When he noticed that Yuki's face hadn't changed from what it looked like earlier, the dark clouds of despair reappeared overhead, and it was all he could do not to beg Yuki to stay with him.

"No." Yuki answered concisely, avoiding making eye contact at all costs. He had to stick to his plan, and he had to get out of the palace before Tohma went on the rampage with K at his beck and call. He groaned and stood up slowly, waiting for his head to stop spinning. The faster he got away from Shuichi the better.

"We need to go to Mika's announcement…" Shuichi said quietly after Yuki was steady on his feet. He'd been able to keep himself from begging, but there was still a distinct shake to his voice. He stood up and watched Yuki, waiting for the inevitable. "I came to find you…"

"Announcement?" Yuki managed to gasp out, realizing that he'd been unconscious for longer than he could afford. "No…"

"Yeah, remember?" Shuichi asked timidly, not wanting to upset Yuki. He was starting to look even more cracked, and Shuichi felt more helpless than ever before.

"Shuichi, listen, I can't…" Yuki choked out, the familiar trapped feeling overwhelming him again. He'd missed his window; he couldn't run now.

"I know…" Shuichi whispered, a few tears running down his cheeks. He'd known it was coming, he'd convinced himself of that, but it still hit him harder than he'd thought it could. The tears streamed out of his eyes, and he had to blink furiously to maintain semi-clear vision.

"What?" Yuki asked, startled. He'd tried to hide his intentions from Shuichi for his sake, but his tone sounded more informed than he'd thought possible.

"I know you can't, I'm sorry…" Shuichi gasped out, starting to shake.

"Shuichi, don't, why are you sorry?" Yuki asked quickly, finally looking at Shuichi and wishing that he hadn't. He'd never seen someone look so broken. "I'm the one that should be sorry…"

"No, I made you stay here, I got you stuck in the stupid engagement, I'm the one-"

"Stop." Yuki told Shuichi, walking over to him and putting a finger over his lips. "Please, this isn't your fault, I can't stay here…"

Shuichi didn't look up at Yuki, afraid of what would happen to him if he did. Instead, he looked off to the side, his eyes barely opened. He didn't want to see his lover's face, and all he wanted was to disappear. He wasn't sure that he could handle finishing this conversation, let alone Mika's summons.

"I just feel so trapped here, I feel like I can't breathe." Yuki explained, the unfamiliar burning behind his eyes distracting him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"For what to happen?" Shuichi asked, surprised.

"For it to go on this long." Yuki blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way, Eiri." Shuichi said quietly, closing his eyes and leaning into Yuki's chest for the last time. He felt completely numb.

Yuki didn't answer Shuichi for fear that his voice would betray how he was feeling on the inside. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Shuichi and pulled him in closer, wishing that he wasn't the Prince. Even though his royal situation had been what they'd originally bonded over, at that moment, Yuki would have given his entire world for Shuichi to be anything else.

"Please don't do this…" Shuichi murmured, the numb feeling having spread over his entire body, rendering him incapable of controlling his words. "Please…"

"I have to, I don't have a choice…" Yuki responded, pushing Shuichi off of his chest and looking away.

"Yes you do!" Shuichi yelled, his depression broken by a sudden onset of anger. "I'm the one that doesn't have a choice!"

"What are you talking about? You're the one that told her 'yes'! You're the one that chose this!" Yuki shot back, his defensive nature rearing its ugly head.

"First of all, you nodded!" Shuichi screamed, shoving Yuki as hard as he could. He'd never had so much anger well up so quickly, and he wasn't sure how to handle himself. "And second of all, I'm the one that doesn't have a choice! I have to get married!"

"You could run." Yuki said quietly, glaring down at Shuichi and choosing to ignore the first part of his rebuttal. "You don't have to stay here."

"You think she'll just let me disappear like you? No, I have to stay here, I'm trapped for the rest of my life, and it doesn't matter to anyone whether or not I'm happy!" Shuichi continued, the tears obscuring his sight. "I hate this, I hate feeling this way! You should've left after you got what you wanted!"

"You can't lay all that on me! It's not my fault!" Yuki yelled, wishing that he really could disappear. "And yeah, I should have! I never should have stayed here with you, so sorry for making you so miserable!"

"Good!" Shuichi screamed, his voice cracking. He started taking deep breaths again to quell his rage, and as soon as the adrenaline faded, he wished he hadn't. The misery came rushing back, and it took all the strength he had in him to remain standing.

"Shuichi?" Yuki asked, narrowing his eyes but lessening the intensity of his glare. Something had changed.

"You can't just leave me here, you can't…" Shuichi moaned, losing the battle against himself and falling to his knees. "You don't understand, you can't…"

"I have to, I can't stay here. I feel trapped, I can't breathe in this place, Shuichi, I can't stay here with you. Plus, the wish ruse will be up eventually, I'll get killed. Is that what you want?" Yuki said, neglecting to mention that Tohma and Caspian had stolen the lamp. If Shuichi found out about that, he'd only panic more. "You have to move on."

"But I love you..." Shuichi breathed, his words barely audible. He looked up at Yuki, searching for some glimmer of feeling in his cold face.

"I know." Yuki replied, choking back any other responses that were fighting to get out. "I know, Shuichi."

"Then –"

"You're just torturing yourself, you can't change my mind, Shuichi, it's already made up." Yuki told Shuichi softly, closing his eyes so that he didn't betray himself.

"Just come with me, then you can leave, I can't face her alone…" Shuichi whispered a few minutes later, realizing that the battle was over. Yuki was barely breathing, and Shuichi could feel himself slipping away. He didn't have the strength to keep fighting and he could tell that Yuki was just retreating further and further with each word. "I promise, I won't say anything else, I swear, just don't make me tell her alone, I can't…I can't tell her that you're…leaving…I can't say those…words…"

Yuki could feel himself falling apart as he watched Shuichi crumble on the floor in front of him. He could barely finish a sentence, and it was killing him on the inside. Shuichi was dying in front of him, and he couldn't make himself stay. He'd tried to swallow that choice, but he'd felt sick at the thought. The pressure, the claustrophobia, and the need to be free overpowered everything else in his selfish head, and he hated himself for it.

Shuichi needed him, that was clear, and he couldn't be there for him. At the very least, he could at least protect him from Mika's wrath before he broke his heart for good.

"OK." Yuki conceded finally, walking over to Shuichi and picking him up. "Let's go."

"I can't…" Shuichi whispered, his body weak from the emotions ripping him apart. "I can't tell you goodbye…"

"Don't worry about that now, we have to go to the announcement first." Yuki said, picking Shuichi up and carrying him towards their doom.

"Eiri, please…" Shuichi begged, burying his face into Yuki's collarbone. "I don't want to be with anyone else…"

"Stop." Yuki said, a tone of finality in his voice. "It's over, Shuichi, you have to move on, you have to accept this, please…"

"I don't think I can…" Shuichi whispered, his voice dead. "I can't…I can't be with anyone else."

"Marry Hiro, he'll take care of you…" Yuki told Shuichi, quickening his pace. It made him sick to think of Shuichi with anyone else, but the thought of him wasting away over this was much, much worse. He couldn't be responsible for Shuichi's death, he had to make sure that someone could take care of him when he couldn't. "He loves you, anyone could see that."

"But-"

"No, you need to tell Mika that's what you want. You can't let her get too mad, she'll kill you." Yuki said quickly, trying to get Shuichi to think past what was happening to him. Maybe, just maybe, if he could get him to focus on a brighter future he'd live through the proceedings. "After I'm gone, you need to tell her."

"No…" Shuichi moaned again, the crying resuming, though he didn't have enough energy left to do anything but lie against Yuki's shoulder and let the tears pour out of him.

Silence ruled the last part of the journey, as Yuki didn't have it in him to say anything else. Shuichi was sobbing into his shoulder, and every response killed off another part of him. When they finally reached the throne room, he put Shuichi down gently and grabbed his shoulders to make sure that he could stand on his own.

"Are you ready?" Yuki asked, knowing that it was pointless. Of course he wasn't, and Yuki was beginning to think that he never would be.

"Yuki…" Shuichi whispered, reaching out and running a hand down Yuki's soft cheek. "I…"

"I'm so sorry, Shuichi…" Yuki whispered, leaning down and kissing Shuichi, wishing that he could fix things with something as simple as a kiss. He broke away when he thought that he couldn't take it anymore and held Shuichi to him, finally letting the tears leak out. "I'm so sorry…"

"We have to go in." Shuichi said, his voice sounding distant and detached. There'd been a sadness to Yuki's embrace that had never been there before, and he couldn't shake the feeling of finality. The love of his life was leaving, and he had to learn to live without him.

"I know." Yuki answered, quickly wiping the tears away and composing himself. "Let's go."

* * *

I had no idea that I had this in me. I wasn't planning on doing a whole big sad mess, if you guys even considered it sad, I know I sure as hell did *hides Kleenex*. I wasn't even planning on those two having a conversation lasting more than a page, let alone twelve (on my document anyway), so yeah…

Well, we've finally reached the start of Tohma losing it (as if he ever had it…), and I'm really glad that you guys are still around for it. Sorry it's taken me so long, but this stupid story is my baby, and I have to do it right by me if I'm going to do it. I gotta feel every scene, and I have to have it nice and planned out so I don't lose myself along the way. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to seeing this through very soon.

Much love,

Amaya


	34. Chapter 29

_When they finally reached the throne room, he put Shuichi down gently and grabbed his shoulders to make sure that he could stand on his own._

_"Are you ready?" Yuki asked, knowing that it was pointless. Of course he wasn't, and Yuki was beginning to think that he never would be. _

_"Yuki…" Shuichi whispered, reaching out and running a hand down Yuki's soft cheek. "I…"_

_"I'm so sorry, Shuichi…" Yuki whispered, leaning down and kissing Shuichi, wishing that he could fix things with something as simple as a kiss. He broke away when he thought that he couldn't take it anymore and held Shuichi to him, finally letting the tears leak out. "I'm so sorry…"_

_"We have to go in." Shuichi said, his voice sounding distant and detached. There'd been a sadness to Yuki's embrace that had never been there before, and he couldn't shake the feeling of finality. The love of his life was leaving, and he had to learn to live without him. _

_"I know." Yuki answered, quickly wiping the tears away and composing himself. "Let's go."_

He released Shuichi and watched the Prince shake himself and walk towards the doors to the throne room. When he thought he could handle it, he followed Shuichi into the room and tried not to be painfully self-conscious. The long walkway to the Sultana's throne was lined with the elite of Agrabah, and the Sultana herself was seated, looking angry enough to kill. He had no idea how late they were, but judging from her expression, it was a grievous amount of time.

"Ah, there they are. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the Prince, and the future Sultan of Agrabah." Mika said loudly, standing up and gesturing to Yuki and Shuichi.

The room started to clap, some softer than others, as Yuki and Shuichi made their way up to Mika's throne. Yuki could hear a few whispering about him as they approached, and he was pretty sure that'd he'd encountered some of their wallets when he was a thief. He gulped and kept his eyes focused on Mika, hoping that on one tried to out him before he reached her.

"What took you so long?" Mika hissed when they approached her throne. "You're almost an hour late!"

"Sorry, milady." Yuki answered, noticing that Shuichi had regained his disconnected look. "We had to discuss a few things…"

"Is everything alright?" Mika asked quickly, smiling at a few of the closer council members.

"Actually, we need to talk, the engage-"

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!" a voice rang out, followed by the slamming of the throne room's doors against the walls. Smoke billowed in from the entrance hall, and the lamps in the room flickered ominously.

"K?" Yuki wondered aloud, recognizing the genie's voice instantly. He straightened up to his full height and peered through the fast-spreading gloom, trying to see what has happening at the entrance to the room.

"What's going on?" Shuichi asked listlessly, not entirely concerned but putting up a front anyway.

"Just stay back, it's K, he's with Tohma now…" Yuki whispered, wondering if he could slip out undetected. If Tohma discovered that he was still here, he was sure that he wouldn't make it out alive.

"What's the meaning of this?" Mika called out, putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward to get a better look. "Show yourself!"

"With pleasure." Tohma said, his silky voice preceding him. He emerged from the smoke with a huge smile plastered across his face, looking entirely too pleased with himself. He smiled at those in attendance as he sauntered up the aisle, making sure to take things slow. He wanted to savor his moment of victory, and he wasn't about to rush things. "Hi, nice to see you again, lovely day isn't it?"

"Tohma, what are you doing here?" Mika questioned, her voice dripping with acid but her face still smiling for the audience's sake.

"Just taking a walk, milady. Wanted to have a little chat with you." Tohma responded, motioning K forward.

Yuki grabbed Shuichi and slid behind the throne, not wanting Tohma to catch a glimpse. If he did, this could get ugly fast.

"Not now, you imbecile, I'm busy!" Mika growled, ready to kill her vizier.

"Not anymore you're not." Tohma told Mika, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms. "K, clear the room."

"I'm not sure that's part of the wish…"

"NOW." Tohma commanded, turning to face K and staring him down. "Don't make me get violent, genie."

"Wait, genie?" Mika asked, stepping forward and staring at K. "Tohma, stop lying to me!"

"Alright, alright…" K muttered, shaking his head and grumbling to himself. He snapped his fingers to get some extra ammunition and then opened fire on the ceiling, successfully traumatizing everyone in the room that wasn't used to his sporadic spurts of gunfire.

The entire throne room erupted into a panicked warzone, and Tohma giggled like a schoolgirl, dancing in place while the elite of Agrabah nearly killed each other trying to escape his madness.

"That's right! Be afraid! You have no idea what's coming, you can't handle-" Tohma sang out, the fire rising in him again and only going out when he tripped on his own robe and face-planted into the floor.

"Nice one…" K muttered, hoisting Tohma up by his boa. "Let's keep it together captain."

"Put me down!" Tohma ordered, kicking his feet in an attempt to reconnect to the ground. K was a lot taller than he looked.

"As you wish." K responded promptly, releasing Tohma and trying extremely hard not to chuckle as the vizier smashed onto the floor for the second time in under a minute.

"Tohma, explain. Now." Mika spat out, marching forward and prodding at Tohma with her foot. "You have thirty seconds, then you're under arrest, we clear?"

"Afraid that's not quite right, madam." K told Mika, bowing his head. "Can't let you do that…"

"And just who the hell do you think you are? You're his assistant!" Mika yelled at K, flapping her arms up. "Guards!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" K warned Mika, rolling up his sleeves and popping his fingers.

"Stay behind me." Yuki whispered to Shuichi, stepping in front of the smaller man in case K's lunacy got out of hand.

"He's not an assistant, Mika. He's a genie." Tohma stated, his voice staying even and matter-of-fact. "I tried to tell you."

"What?" Mika sputtered, looking at K skeptically. "What the hell is going on here, Tohma?"

"I have a bone to pick with you." Tohma told Mika, clearing his throat a few times.

"Then pick it already! You have any idea how much ass-kissing this is going to take me to fix? What in Allah's name is wrong with you!" Mika griped at Tohma, sighing exasperatedly and glaring at her vizier.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Tohma roared, the anger starting to bubble back up. K sensed the danger and backed up, surreptitiously searching the room for his old master. "I'm so sick of you treating me like this!"

"Like what? You're my inferior!" Mika yelled at Tohma, deciding to step past the genie issue to concentrate her wrath on the revolting vizier.

"I'm not anyone's inferior! Not now!" Tohma shrieked, his eyes popping out of his head. "I HAVE REAL POWERS NOW! YOU'RE FINISHED!"

"Tohma…you little moron…" Mika warned, cracking her neck and falling into her fighting stance. "I'll drop you like a bag of coconuts."

"NO! I'm not a moron! I'm not stupid! I'm not useless!" Tohma yelled at Mika, balling his gloved fists and spitting. "All of these years, you've taken me for granted! You never respected me!"

"YOU NEVER EARNED IT!" Mika yelled back at Tohma, glaring machetes. "Not once in the last three or four years have you ever once given me a reason to!"

"That's not true!" Tohma screeched indignantly, his feathers severely ruffled. He returned Mika's glare and started pacing erratically, his eyes never once leaving his love's face. As he stomped around the throne room, sparks ignited around him, singing the long carpet leading up to the throne.

"Yes it is!" Mika returned, feeling exasperated with the situation, and secretly admiring the sparks. She'd known that Tohma could luck his way into magic, but she'd never gotten this sense from it. It felt real, tangible, and she was intrigued. "When I met you, you were untouchable. You were a genius, you were brilliant, you never screwed up, you were perfect!"

"I STILL AM!" Tohma replied angrily, the sparks evolving into a few ill-aimed lightning bolts. One frizzed Mika's throne, giving the two hiding behind it pre-mature coronaries, and the others bounced around the room, burning holes into whatever they happened across.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Mika screamed, adding in a little hop in her excitement. "You've messed up so much in the last month, Tohma, I can't even keep count! Hell, your damned parrot had to restrain you! You lost a prisoner, you couldn't even raid a cave, you tried to kill visiting royalty, and you lied to me Tohma! You lied! You're my advisor, you're supposed to help me!"

"I HAVE BEEN HELPING YOU! HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THAT?" Tohma screamed back, raising his voice as much as possible without it cracking. "COME ON!"

"Then prove it, Tohma! You worthless excuse for a vizier, show me!" Mika suggested loudly, huffing at Tohma.

"I'VE BEEN TRYING YOU STUPID WOMAN! DID YOU NOT SEE THE LIGHTNING?"

"Excuse me?" Mika directed at Tohma, scanning the room for the lightning damage and feeling highly impressed. Tohma'd never pulled off this much magic without either giving himself a hernia or a heart attack.

"YOU HEARD ME! YOU HARPIE! YOU SHE-DEVIL!" Tohma frothed, his face as red as a beet. "Every second of every day of my life has been devoted to you since I first saw you, you've had me wrapped around your finger! I'd give anything for you, and you toyed with my heart one too many times! I've tried so hard to help you, to make you happy, and then, when I tried to save you, you called me a liar! YOU WITCH!"

"How dare you…" Mika growled under her breath, trying to maintain a tough face in front of Tohma's lambasting. No one had ever spoken to her like this, and she wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

Her entire life, she'd been revered, she'd been kowtowed to incessantly, and no one had ever told her that it should be any different. She'd come from royalty, married into royalty, and been given the crown of Agrabah when her husband met his untimely end. She was torn between anger and something that she couldn't quite identify.

Tohma had once had his brilliance, but he'd never had such a backbone. The more she watched his angry face and his waving hands, the more flustered she started to feel. When the heat started rising to her face, she fanned herself a few times, wondering what had hijacked her emotions. It was quite something seeing Tohma so worked up, so powerful. She shook her head a few times, Tohma's screeching interrupting her personal reflection hour.

"NO! HOW DARE YOU! YOU USED ME! You…you…I HATE YOU!" Tohma roared, tears leaking out of his eyes. "I HATE YOU! YOU STUPID, STUPID WOMAN, I CAN'T STAND THE SIGHT OF YOU, YOU DISGUST –"

Tohma was cut off mid-rant by Mika assaulting his face with hers. He stumbled back, surprised by the sudden attack, and stared at his ambusher with a worried look. When Mika broke the embrace he grabbed her shoulders to steady himself and gave her his most scandalized look.

"What was that?" Tohma spat at Mika, trying to remain offended without getting overexcited by the sudden shower of affection. Behind Mika's throne, Yuki gagged and Shuichi buried his face into Yuki's back in case the atrocity that had just occurred reproduced itself.

"You…you've never sounded so…so…"

"Powerful? Brilliant? Amazing?" Tohma suggested, stepping back and preening himself.

"Exactly." Mika responded breathlessly, stepping forward and latching onto Tohma again. He struggled for a few seconds and then gave into her passionate tackle.

"Oh, oh, no, no one needs to see that…" Yuki gasped, stumbling over his words in his shock. "Look away…"

Shuichi numbly obeyed, having yet to recover all of the feeling in his body. The longer he stayed near Yuki, the more he wanted to keep him, and it was taking all of his strength to win the mental battle that he'd never wanted to fight.

"Eugh…" K groaned, shielding his eyes and turning away from the romantic carnage in the middle of the room. He made sure to keep the interlocked couple out of his line of vision, but once the animal noises started, he couldn't contain his curiosity. As soon as he glanced their direction, he instantly would've given anything to have altered that course of action. "MY EYES! IT BURNS!"

"What now…" Yuki muttered, leaning around the throne to see what has happening. Mika had Tohma pushed up against a pillar, and his legs were wrapped around her waist. Both were making jungle cat sounds and seemed to be permanently attached to one another's faces. "Dear lord…"

Shuichi blinked slowly and looked too. The horrific sight didn't quite register with him and instead led his mind down the dark, dark path of thinking about when it had been him and Yuki in similar situations. He slumped as the images got more pervasive, remaining even when he closed his eyes to escape them.

"Hey, snap out of it…" Yuki whispered to Shuichi, waving a hand in front of his dazed lover's face. "Shuichi, come on, stay focused."

"Hmm?" Shuichi murmured, looking up at Yuki with a vacant expression.

"Listen, I'm going to sneak out of here while Tohma's…occupied." Yuki told Shuichi quietly, smacking him softly on the cheek to make sure that he was still awake.

"But…"

"You'll be fine, they can't do anything to you. If Tohma sees me here, he'll kill me, you know that. I have to get out of here." Yuki hurried, desperately wanting Shuichi to understand. "I…I…never mind, I have to leave, now. Goodbye Shuichi…"

"Eiri, I can't say that to you…" Shuichi choked out, the tears returning.

"Then don't." Yuki replied, pulling Shuichi up to his face and kissing him, wishing that he could say the words that were running circles in his head.

He broke the kiss sooner rather than later, not wanting to give Shuichi the wrong idea. As soon as he was sure that Shuichi wasn't going to face-plant or stop breathing, he darted away from the throne and started sneaking around the edge of the courtroom, hoping that Mika could continue justifying the astonishingly atrocious noises that Tohma was making.

He was halfway to the door when the purring stopped, and he halted behind the nearest column, watching as best he could without giving himself away.

"Genie, I think we have a rat." Tohma said suddenly, having spotted Yuki's moving shadow when he'd come up for air. "Let's take care of it, shall we?"

Yuki's heart stopped beating and he swore that he could feel his blood going cold; Tohma knew he was there. He forced himself not to panic and flattened himself against the large pillar, silently praying that K wouldn't betray him.

"A what?" K asked, moving his hand enough to see with one eye. "I don't see any…"

"Then check the pillars." Tohma ordered, stepping away from Mika and making sure that his boa was hanging evenly on each side.

"Rats? Tohma, what are you talking about now?" Mika questioned, cocking her head to the side and staring at Tohma. "There aren't any rats in here."

"Shit…" Yuki cursed under his breath, wondering which side K was going to approach from. If he ran in zigzags, maybe Tohma wouldn't be able to hex him, and he was almost sure that K would at least give him a head-start before attempting to tackle him. It was his only option at this point, as Mika seemed much too enamored with Tohma to give a flying rat's derriere about his papers proving Tohma's involvement with him when he was a prisoner.

"Not that kind of rat, my darling, just watch." Tohma said to Mika, nodding to reassure her. "Trust me."

On any other day, she might have smacked him upside the head, but her newly rekindled passion for the pale-haired vizier stalled Mika's hand and temper. Deciding to believe that Tohma had all of his eggs in the correctly labeled basket, Mika held her tongue and nodded at her love, hoping that he wouldn't let her down this time.

"Pretty sure there's nothing there captain." K told Tohma, wanting to buy Yuki some time. He wanted to signal to the cornered fugitive, to tell him to get the hell out of there, but he couldn't without Tohma seeing him. Now that his face didn't have a Mika-shaped growth, he was watching him intently, making sure that he didn't pull any tricks.

"Oh, there's something, or should I say, someone, there. I'll help you look." Tohma said sinisterly, cracking his knuckles and moving to provide the assist. Mika blushed and started fanning herself, thoroughly enjoying the proceedings now that Tohma was bringing out the magic again.

"No, no, that won't be necessary, you just relax and…enjoy yourself." K suggested, putting up his hands and backing up. "I can handle this chief."

"I'm not sure you can." Tohma replied, rolling his shoulders and neck to prepare for an extermination. "This is how you should be searching."

With that said, Tohma threw his arm out towards one of the pillars and sent a lightning bolt flying straight at it. The pillar cracked in half and crumbled, shaking the foundations of the room. The rumbling of the floor and walls jarred Shuichi out of his stupor and he walked out from behind the throne, watching Tohma closely. He scanned the room, but didn't see Yuki anywhere. Inside, the tendrils of panic started to rise up, but he closed his eyes and fought them back, refusing to believe that his sacrifice would go unneeded. If Yuki died, then he wouldn't have the life that he wanted him to have.

"You start on that end, I'll get this one." Tohma called over his shoulder to K as he walked to the other side of the room. He was pretty sure that Yuki was on K's side of the gargantuan expanse of throne room, but he wanted to test the genie's loyalty before things got messy.

"Sounds good…" K sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He'd always been afraid that this would happen, and now that he had to be an agent of his friend's downfall, he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. If Tohma truly saw killing the street rat as an essential part of his takeover, then he had no choice. He'd have to stand by and watch, maybe even help.

"K…no…" Shuichi whispered, edging away from the throne some more. He still couldn't see Yuki, and he was starting to get worried. If he was still in the room, he was doomed, especially if K was really on Tohma's side.

K started zapping the columns as Tohma had, bringing several of them down and making the palace roofs rattle ominously. Yuki darted behind another one every time that K struck, using the noise and ensuing dust to mask his movements. He was one jump away from the door when Tohma's voice interrupted the mayhem.

"If he gets away, this takeover won't be complete, genie. He's an annoyance, a hindrance, and he won't be tolerated." Tohma called out to K, raising his hands up in order to repair some of the integral supports for the room.

"I'm still not sure what you're talking about…" K feigned, wondering how much longer he could fake innocence. He tried to make a 'shooing' gesture at Yuki, but couldn't risk it now that the dust clouds in the room were settling.

"Yes you do. Your street rat chum, he needs to be eliminated." Tohma shot back, refusing to get irritated with the genie. He knew exactly where the street rat was, and he was patiently watching his new subordinate fail the loyalty test. Shuichi listened intently from the sidelines, his stomach churning with fear for Yuki.

"I don't have a street rat chum." K said, his voice unusually high. He knew that Tohma was toying with him, and he knew that Tohma knew everything, but he wasn't about to give Yuki up that easily. The longer he kept Tohma talking, the better Yuki's chance for survival was.

"Tohma, what-" Mika tried to interject, thoroughly confused. She had no idea why Prince Eiri's assistant had magic powers, or why Tohma was mistakenly calling him a genie, but she was dying to find out.

"Hush, love. I'm handling this."

"Well, handle it faster." Mika said under her breath, not sure if she wanted Tohma to overhear her or not.

"Alright then." Tohma replied calmly, saving the crazy for when he finally got to unravel all of the threads of his grand victory. "Genie, bring him out here."

"No…" K replied, struggling to fight off the wish again. Unfortunately for him, Yuki's demise did indeed fall into the parameters of Tohma's formal request, and as such, he was bound by the lamp to help him see it through. "You do realize that I can't kill him, right?"

"And the game is up!" Tohma sang out, glad to have broken through K's useless lies. The closer he got to ending the cause of all of his failures, the happier he was. "Get him out here!"

"EIRI, RUN!" K yelled, hitting himself in the head to prevent any well-aimed magic. As angry as part of him was with the thief, they'd been through a lot together and he hated to lose to a man that was governed by a talking bird. "NOW!"

Yuki didn't say a word and instead darted for the entrance, leaping over pieces of column when necessary. He was midair, jumping over the last large rock between him and the door when he was thrown into the nearest wall with the force of a stampeding rhino.

"NO!" Shuichi shrieked when Tohma's spell hit Yuki. Mika immediately shot him a death glare and he backed up towards the throne, wanting to have something to put between them if she charged.

"Not so fast!" Tohma yelled, shaking out his sleeves after casting the spell at Yuki. If K wasn't going to help him, he could help himself. He sighed internally, having almost forgotten that he had real powers to use, even though he'd just used them to bring down the throne room. He said a silent 'thank you' to the gods of the world, immensely grateful that Caspian hadn't been around to point out his memory lapse.

"Ouch…" Yuki groaned, rubbing his ribs and wincing when his fingers found the large gash from Tohma and Caspian's spear fit endeavor. Before he could gain his wits back, Tohma had marched over and was holding him down with his foot.

"Look what we have here…" Tohma murmured dangerously, leering down at Yuki with a savage smile. "A rat, caught with his hand in the cookie jar."

"I think you're mixing up-"

"Shut up!" Tohma said, removing his foot and kicking Yuki in the side, hard. "No more talking, you're through!"

Tohma backed away from Yuki and raised a hand up slowly, his magic pulling Yuki to his feet. He dragged the street rat along behind him, lowering his hand sharply when he reached the middle of the room. Yuki fell to the floor and moaned again, Tohma having split open a few of his stitches. Shuichi fought the impulse to run forward, terrified of what Mika might do to him, or to Yuki.

"Oi, Caspian, you're on!" Tohma yelled across the room, kicking Yuki again when the latter tried to regain his footing.

"Oooh, goody!" Caspian squealed, his parroty cackling flowing in from the entrance hall. "GET MOVING!"

"What?" Tohma asked, raising an eyebrow. They'd planned out their takeover almost to the letter, and he wasn't too keen on any surprises.

"I brought you something, no worries." Caspian responded smugly, biting at his surprise to encourage forward progress. When he finally got around to entering the room, K snapped and some fireworks went off around him to showcase his fancy duds.

He was decked out in a leather jacket that had glittery red lining and red metallic zippers, complete with a sequined red beret with an eagle feather sticking out of the back of it. There were several little chains on the front of the jacket, and the back was emblazed with a phoenix.

"I am not a thing, you devil!" Tatsuha said to Caspian, kicking at the bird. Ryuichi trailed along behind him, looking genuinely frightened of Caspian. He waved robotically when he saw Shuichi, his eyes bugged out. Shuichi waved back, and then darted behind the throne again when Mika looked his way.

"How the hell did you manage this?" Tohma said gleefully, rubbing his hands together and doing a little hop. He'd been concerned that Tatsuha might've mobilized the guards against him once he'd taken over. Now that Mika had made up for her indiscretions and was once again on his side, this was less of a concern, but it was nice to have all the loose ends tied up. Plus, he was still a little shaky around the pink rabbit.

"They came up from the guard quarters to investigate the explosions, I got bored waiting for you to finish this, and it seemed like a good…opportunity." Caspian explained, biting at Tatsuha's heels again in exchange for the kicking.

"Nice work." Tohma said, conjuring ropes and gags on Ryuichi and Tatsuha to prevent any trouble during Caspian's next assignment. "Shall we continue?"

"Oh, let's." Caspian hissed maliciously, staying on the ground and running over to Yuki. "I've been looking forward to this…"

When Caspian got too close for comfort, Yuki started blowing at him, unwilling to slap at the bird out of fear for his fingers.

"Wow, that's all you have left?" Caspian teased, dancing around and twirling to show off his new look. "Can't touch this, oh yeah, can't touch-OUCH!"

Yuki had half-heartedly swatted at the bird and had caught him in mid-spin, toppling him beak-first into the ground. Shuichi did a few elaborate air punches to celebrate, thrilled that Yuki wasn't completely incapacitated. If that had been the case, he would've had to do something, though he had no idea what. As much as he loved Yuki, he was no match for Tohma.

"You'll pay for that one." Caspian promised, ruffling himself up and flying over to K's feet. "Start the show, man."

"I don't think-"

"You heard him, genie, deliver!" Tohma shouted at K, starting to feel the impatience eating away at his cool exterior.

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Mika asked, ignoring Tohma's request for her to trust him.

"Mika, please, later, don't rain on Caspian's parade."

"Oh, he finally came out, did he? 'bout time, I wondered when the closet would start to get stuffy." Mika observed, barely containing her delight. Even though Tohma was a sexy beast, the sentiments that she had for him did not apply to his feathery sidekick.

"Genie." Tohma said, shaking his head at Mika. K acted as if he hadn't heard anything and started whistling. When Caspian muttered something about impaling and starting running towards Mika, Tohma lifted his foot and brought it down on Caspian's tail, just in time to prevent a disaster. "And you, bird, concentrate. You're after the street rat, not the Sultana."

"For now…" Caspian said under his breath, considering gnawing at Tohma's toes to free himself.

"Caspian…" Tohma warned, conjuring some sparks to remind the bird that he had legitimate powers.

"Fine, fine, I won't get her, just him…" Caspian agreed half-heartedly. He nodded at K and Tohma released his tail, watching him closely to prevent future misbehaving.

"Genie." Tohma said again, this time a little bit louder. "We had a deal."

"I know, I know…" K said, mouthing 'I'm sorry' to Yuki and cueing Caspian's music. They'd arranged the song before crashing the announcement, and Caspian had apparently had the lyrics memorized for weeks, waiting for the proper opportunity to unleash them on the unsuspecting palace population.

"It's go time…" Caspian whispered, walking over to Yuki and jumping onto his head. Yuki groaned and tried to bite the bird, but still didn't have the strength to sit up, let alone fight off a Caspian attack. "Genie!"

K snapped his fingers and the throne room lights dimmed magically, casting an ominous gloom on the scene. A few seconds later, Caspian's arrangement started reverberating around the room and a free standing microphone appeared near the center of the carpet.

"What the hell…" Yuki wondered aloud, rolling over and partially squishing Caspian, who flew off and landed in the middle of the room, his fancy hat askew and a terrible string of curses falling out of his beak.

Yuki used the momentum from steamrolling the bird to get off of the floor, trying to assess his situation. Before he could do too much contemplating however, he heard the sinister sound of K snapping his fingers. He instinctively ducked and covered, waiting for the inevitable conclusion of the day. When nothing happened for a few seconds, he unclenched and looked up.

K was standing off to the side in an outfit that matched Caspian's, complete with a pair of dark aviator sunglasses. He was leaning up against a wall, elbows at his waist, and both hands snapping out a steady 'bum, bum, bum' rhythm. Yuki watched with his mouth open, horrified that K was finally playing along. In the center of the room, Caspian was doing a strange little side sidling step in time to the strange music, and Tohma was conducting behind him, looking absolutely evil. When the music stopped its crescendo and twirled into a flat note, Caspian flew up onto the microphone that K had provided for him and a spotlight clicked on, focusing on Yuki.

"Prince Eiri, yes it is he, but not as you know him…" Caspian started singing, the words flowing out of his beak with a sickening lilt. Tohma reacted to Caspian's lyrics and levitated Yuki, preventing him from leaving the spotlight. Mika raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, eager to have the answers at last.

"No…" Shuichi whispered, eyes darting around the room. Caspian and Tohma were going to unravel everything, and if Mika got angry enough, Yuki wouldn't live through the night. He looked from face to face, trying to figure out what to do. K was clearly on the side of evil, Tatsuha and Ryuichi were tied up, and the carpet that usually followed one of the trio around was nowhere to be found. He gulped and steadied himself for what had to come next; he had to rescue Yuki, somehow.

"Read my beak, it's the truth you seek, it's reality." Caspian continued, swinging from the microphone by one foot and smiling at Yuki. K continued to snap by the wall, his eyes shut tight to avoid the carnage. He couldn't stand what was happening. It was infuriating to see his own magic undoing all of his hard work.

"Ok…charge the bird, make a lot of noise, hit Tohma with something…" Shuichi whispered, plotting aloud. Off to the side, Ryuichi tried to worm his way out of captivity, but Tohma's magic was holding him tight. Next to him, Tatsuha had completely given in, thrilled to be next to a tied-up Ryuichi. His only concern was how to avoid drooling on his beloved.

"Yes, meet a blast from your past, whose lies were too good to last!" Caspian sang, crawling back on top of the mike. Tohma started spinning Yuki in mid-air, waiting for Caspian's signal. When the bird nodded at him, he swung an arm towards Shuichi and magically dragged him forward, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Hey, let me go!" Shuichi squalled, desperately fighting the spell. If he was caught too, there was no way for him to help Yuki. In one of the higher windows, the carpet hovered, its nap having been interrupted by the loud music.

"Say hello to your precious Prince Eiri!" Caspian screeched into the microphone, breaking from his melodic singing in the heat of the moment. At the last syllable, Tohma slammed Yuki into a column and let the latter slide to the floor, leaving a smear of blood behind him. Once he stopped wriggling, Tohma flicked his wrist and took away all of Yuki's finery, returning him to his original form.

"STOP IT!" Shuichi screamed, coming unglued.

Yuki whimpered and flopped onto his stomach, barely able to breathe through the pain. When the bells stopped clanging in his head, he noticed that he was dressed in his normal garb and closed his eyes, ready for the final blow; it couldn't be long now.

"What the hell?" Mika managed to spit out, leaning forward and staring at Yuki. "Tohma?"

"Just listen…" Tohma drawled laconically, rocking on the balls of his feet.

"And the rat's out of the bag, eh, Yuki?" Caspian sniped, ignoring Mika's outburst. He accented his last word and motioned to Tohma who in turn dragged Shuichi over to Yuki. "Nice choice Princey, bet you didn't see this coming."

"See what coming?" Shuichi asked, struggling to reach Yuki and genuinely confused about Caspian's statement. Yuki still had his eyes closed, and seemed to have checked out.

"He's a street rat!" Caspian yelled into the microphone, causing it to screech obnoxiously. K stopped snapping only to pop in some ear plugs and then continued his metallic back-up beat.

"No shit Sherlock!" Shuichi replied haughtily, annoyed that he was so close to Yuki and still couldn't help him.

Caspian's responded cheekily with a few well-chosen insults, slights, and curses, and almost tipped the microphone over with his angry twittering and ruffling.

"I told you he probably knew…I warned you, Po…" Tohma said to Caspian, releasing Shuichi from his spell. "I told you not to expect a big reaction."

"Eiri?" Shuichi asked softly, immediately sliding forward to Yuki. He rolled his lover over and pulled him into his lap, trying to rouse him. "Come on, don't do this…"

"BUT HE'S A MORON!" Caspian yelled, ignoring the fact that the microphone was still turned on. A few chunks of the ceiling fell and landed dangerously close to Mika.

"Shuichi?" Yuki asked, opening one eye to take in his surroundings. He'd blocked everything out, and was surprised to find himself alive.

"Caspian! Stay focused!" Tohma yelled back, his calm demeanor starting to crack. "Finish your song already!"

"But!"

"BIRD!" Tohma roared, his eyes popping and his hair starting to frizz out with all of the static electricity in the area. "DAMMIT, CONCENTRATE!"

"Well excuse me!" Caspian responded, flipping over and mooning Tohma. "Don't get your panties all wadded up-"

"Don't start with me Caspian!"

"Then don't finish with me, Tohma!"

"Well….wait, what?" Tohma asked, raising an eyebrow at Caspian's reply. In his spot, K was still snapping, oblivious to the disruptions. "Just keep singing…"

"Are you alright? Come on, we have to get out of here." Shuichi whispered to Yuki, starting to get up.

"No, this is about me, you get involved, you'll get killed." Yuki said quickly in gasps, trying to breathe through the pain. His side was split open and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stay conscious with the amount of blood he was losing.

"Fine." Caspian finally conceded, having taken some time to consider Tohma's command. He cleared his throat and straightened the microphone.

"But-" Shuichi tried to say before he was cut off by Caspian's derogatory warbling.

"So Eiri turns out to be merely a Yuki…" Caspian plowed on, his voice dancing on the syllables of Yuki's various names.

Tohma re-captured Shuichi and jerked his arm backwards, sending the prince flying towards Mika. The Sultana took the hint and grabbed her stepson, successfully restraining him. He then turned his attention to Yuki, who looked about ready to keel over on his own. Tohma waited for Caspian to start an elaborate dance move and healed the street rat when the parrot wasn't looking to quickly heal their quarry; if he didn't stay awake for the grand finale, there was no point to all the antics.

"Just a con, need I go on, take it from me…" Caspian cooed into the microphone, pouring all of his malice into the song.

Mika listened closely, still disbelieving that she'd been so utterly taken by a street rat. Off to the side, K's snapping rate started to slow, the genie drifting off to sleep in the quiet of his ear plugs. Tohma used his magic to wrench Yuki off of the ground, preparing him for Caspian's last hurrah, and starting to feel giddy. The entire time, he'd tried to maintain his cool to look like a bad-ass, and once that had faded, he'd been convinced that they'd somehow fail. Every other time they'd tried to pull off something this big, a freak accident always stopped them, always threw a wrench into the finely-tuned gears of their master plan, something. Now that they were literally a lyric away from sweet, sweet victory, it was getting extremely hard to control himself. He danced in place, sparks coming out of his feet every time they hit the solid floor.

"His personality flaws give me adequate cause to send him packing on a one-way trip, so his prospects take a terminal dip, his assets frozen, the venue's chosen, it's the ends of the earth, yippee!" Caspian squealed into the microphone, the words tumbling out at warp speed and tripping over one another. At his last word, he did a little spin on the microphone and Tohma pirouetted with him, pointing at Yuki when he came to a stop and making the street rat fly up and out of the throne room with astonishing speed. "So long, ex-Prince Eiri!"

"YUKI!" Shuichi screamed, biting, clawing, and kicking at Mika to get free. "NO!"

"And he's OUTTA HERE!" Tohma exclaimed, jumping up and down in a victory celebration.

"Bam diggidy!" Caspian squawked into the microphone, unable to contain his excitement. Yuki was gone for good, and he and Tohma were on top of the world.

When the music stopped playing, K snorted himself awake and removed his mufflers, stretching to wake himself up.

"What's going on?" K asked sleepily, scratching his head and ambling forward. "Song done?"

"That's just sad…" Tohma sad, clicking his tongue at K.

"Your face is sad." K returned groggily, used to having this kind of debate with Ryuichi.

"Your mom is sad!" Caspian yelled into the mike, his voice bouncing around the room.

"HEY!" K yelled, snapping his fingers and making Caspian's shiny perch vanish. "Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!"

"Don't give him ideas!" Tohma wailed, making a cutthroat motion at K.

When the microphone and its stand disappeared, Caspian let out an indignant shriek and flew over to Tohma, wanting to avoid giving K the pleasure of him smacking into the ground at all costs.

"Not so tough now, huh?" K shot at Caspian, smiling wide.

"Enough bickering, this is a time to celebrate…" Tohma said, patting Caspian on the head and ignoring the torrent of threats that issued from the persnickety parrot.

Tohma clapped his hands a few times, intending to redecorate. The way he saw it, things couldn't get any better; Mika was madly in love with him, Caspian had a new target, Shuichi was miserable, he had the pink bunny in custody, and, best of all, the street rat was finally finished.

* * *

We all knew it was coming…Caspian just had to have a chance to flew his vocal wings. Unfortunately, he now wants me to make him that outfit, and we're at a standstill at the moment. I threatened to take away the cereal, he threatened some things that I shall not list, you get the idea.

Ahem. In other news, I wrote up my massive whiteboard plot for the final fight scene and I figured out what scene I want to end the story with. I've had my twist for the end figured out for months, but now I know exactly, almost word for word, how I want to end this mess. I should be updating regularly until the end, as long as my inspiration holds out and finals don't kill me. Over and out, and thanks again for all the reviews and support, they're awesome. :D

-Amaya


	35. Chapter 30

Yuki woke up with his face buried in the sand and immediately thought that heaven was ironically cruel; an entire life spent in the desert, and an afterlife starting in the sand. He muttered something about fate being evil and lifted his head, wondering what else the great beyond had in store for him.

Instead of gaining some perspective, he came face to face with the rug.

"You!" Yuki shouted, scrambling to his feet. He felt around his side and noticed that the wound had closed up again, though he had no idea how. He attributed it to divine magic and moved on, intending to discover what the rug was doing in his version of heaven.

In response, the rug jerked around wildly and pointed at Yuki with one of its tassels, clearly mimicking the panicked street rat.

"What's going on here?" Yuki questioned, frustrated. When the rug flashed him a few inappropriate hand signals, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember his last moments.

Caspian's lyrics flooded his memory and he could picture Tohma's horrid dancing. He remembered Tohma casting a spell at him and Shuichi screaming, but everything else was dark. He pinched harder and remembered feeling the same sensation that he'd felt when Tohma'd pushed him into the cave; freefalling.

His eyes snapped open and he started pacing along the sandy beach that he was on, racking his brain for an answer. Not that it mattered, seeing as he was dead, but the idea of spending the afterlife with the Rug Man was infuriating and he had to know what had happened. He closed his eyes again to block out the glaring sun glinting off of the water and continued pacing blindly. The rug dodged him at first, not wanting to cause an unnecessary altercation, but abandoned this course of action pretty quickly; if Yuki tripped over it, that was his problem.

"Damn…" Yuki muttered, kicking the sand as he walked. As he was about to find the reasoning for his new waking nightmare, his feet got tangled up in his favorite adversary and he face-planted back into the sand, cursing like a drunken sailor the entire time.

The carpet removed itself from the clutches of Yuki's flailing legs rather quickly and flicked some sand at the muttering street rat, telling itself that it could always fly away if he found a weapon.

"You just have to make a mess of everything, don't you?" Yuki asked the rug sarcastically. "Couldn't even let me have a decent death, you just had to get involved."

The rug shook its figurative head at Yuki and flipped him a tassel-influenced bird, wondering when the pissy street rat would figure out that he wasn't dead, just deported.

Yuki rolled over onto his back and stretched out in the warm sand. Falling into the rug had jogged his torn memory back into the present, and he could distinctly remember flying up towards a palace window and then everything getting suddenly soft and warm. The only conclusion that he could reach was that he must've smacked into the rug somehow, and the fall had, again, somehow, killed them both off. He had no idea how a fall had killed a magical carpet that could supposedly fly out of harm's way, but if it was alive, then it wouldn't have been in his personal slice of heaven.

"I didn't think you could die that easily." Yuki observed, inclining his head towards the rug.

The rug didn't respond immediately, and instead shook its head and flitted around the beach, trying to decide its next move. It knew that they needed to get back to Agrabah to, at the very least, rescue Ryuichi and Kuma. It had grown very attached to the brunet maniac and his stuffed rabbit, and it wanted to do its part to save them from the clutches of Tohma and Caspian. If they could get K, Shuichi, or Tatsuha out too, they'd be bonus points. It looked over at where Yuki was still flopped in the sand and sighed internally; this was going to take some work.

Lying in the sand and basking in the warm sun had put the street rat into a decidedly better mood. The more he thought about it, the happier he was. Now that he was dead, he didn't have to worry about finding food, escaping the guards, keeping Ryuichi away from the jewelry vendor, or maintaining his illicit double life.

"And I won't have to see him again…" Yuki muttered, his thoughts straying from his old street antics to what he'd just lost. "It's better this way."

He tried to move on, to ignore the pangs in his chest when he thought about Shuichi, but he couldn't. He'd figured that once he died, he'd leave all of his human emotions behind him, something easy like that, but that clearly wasn't the case. His heart still hurt from what had taken place with Shuichi, and he couldn't forget how devastated his lover had looked, even when he'd been determined to save him.

He groaned and flipped over, wondering if ostriches had something figured out. He buried his face into the sand, of the opinion that the dead didn't need oxygen. A minute later, and the burning in his lungs convinced him otherwise. He pulled his face out, sputtering and confused.

"What the hell!" Yuki cursed, sitting up and kicking a rock. When his toe felt like it was split into four different pieces, he screamed and threw a piece of driftwood. "I'M DEAD!"

The carpet stopped its plotting when it heard Yuki's roars and returned to the beach. There was a forest right next to the sandy expanse that it had wanted to explore while the street rat returned to reality, but that would have to wait. It could hear some very interesting sounds coming from the lofty trees, but Yuki's cursing needed immediate attention.

"This isn't fair!" Yuki yelled, falling back down onto his knees when he couldn't fathom the mysteries of the world anymore. "I'm dead, damn it all, I'M DEAD!"

"I'm dead!" something yelled back, the inflection hauntingly familiar to Yuki.

The street rat spun around, sure that he was losing his mind. He scanned the beach quickly, but there was nothing there that could talk. Beside him, the rug shrugged and gestured that it wasn't the one talking. Yuki turned away from the trees and looked out at the ocean, digging the heel of his palms in his forehead; nothing here made sense.

"I'm dead!" something said again, its tone sounding more impatient than before. "I'm dead, I'm dead!"

Yuki turned around slowly, terrified of what he might find. The voice sounded exactly like a strung-out Caspian. When he turned around to face the beach, it was again empty. He could hear some very strange rustling sounds coming from the tropical forest in front of him, but there was no sign of the crazed conure anywhere. He stepped forward slowly, waiting for the ambush.

"I'm DEAD." the voice said again, sounding very frustrated.

"I hear you!" Yuki shouted at the disembodied mimic, keeping an eye out for Caspian. The rug trailed along behind him, mildly curious, but starting to feel antsy about its friends stuck back in Agrabah.

Yuki's yell was answered by a multitude of parroty voices, some much more amused than others. Yuki stopped walking forward and froze, thoroughly confused. He stayed where he was until the rug started pushing him towards the trees, and he obliged numbly, his mind trying to check out for the day. He reached the trees without incident, though the cackling from within had intensified. He dug his feet into the grassy sand when he was right up to the edge, but the rug kept pushing, and he had no choice but to keep moving.

He stepped into the trees and immediately shielded his face, very accustomed to Caspian attacks. When nothing arrived on the scene to claw out his eyes or to eat his liver, he unclenched and lowered his hands.

He was in a well-lit clearing that was surrounded on all sides by large, tropical trees that were covered in flowers and vines. When he could make out what was sitting in the trees, and what was causing all of the racket, his stomach dropped into his feet.

The entire clearing was coated in green cheek conures.

"Caspian?" Yuki questioned, his eyes going fuzzy. He couldn't process the horror facing him.

A few of the birds informed Yuki that they were dead, but none of them whipped out a flamethrower or charged him kamikaze style. After he'd spent a few seconds unscathed, he relaxed his stance and wondered what sort of hell he'd wandered in to. He'd done some pretty terrible things in his life, but he was pretty damn sure that he'd never done anything bad enough to deserve an eternity of Caspian's cousins.

"This can't be right…" Yuki thought aloud, backing out of the clearing. The rug had apparently satisfied its morbid curiosity and was already back on the beach. "Maybe I'm not dead…"

"I'm dead!" one of the brighter parrots shouted at Yuki, ruffling up and pitching a piece of fruit at him. "I'm dead."

"You're gonna be!" Yuki yelled at the bird, shaking his fist.

As soon as he finished uttering his threat, the entire clearing went silent. Every single bird was staring fixedly at him, intent on defending their own if necessary. When Yuki didn't flee before their feathery glares, one of the larger birds hopped forward and sounded the alarm. Within seconds, all of the conures had mobilized and were chasing Yuki out of the trees with projectiles, horrible bird threats, and flesh wounds whenever they could close the distance.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! DEVIL BIRDS!" Yuki screeched, running for all he was worth towards the beach.

When he caught sight of the carpet, he belted towards it, the pissed off swarm of poultry following close behind.

"GO, GO, GO! FLY!" Yuki screamed, launching himself at the startled rug. When faced with death by Caspian clones or trusting the dreaded throw rug, he'd take the carpet any day. "MOVE IT MAN!"

As much as it hated Yuki, and as wonderful as it would've been to see him devoured by the bloodthirsty parrot mafia closing in on them, it needed the street rat to save Ryuichi and Kumagoro. It took off just in time, and only a few of the birds managed to sink their beaks into it. Yuki made quick work of them, his experience with Caspian-removal coming in handy.

"Well, where to?" Yuki asked the carpet after the last of the parrots had given up the chase. Facing his worst nightmare had almost entirely convinced him that he wasn't dead. After all, he'd never killed anyone, and he'd been stuck babysitting the village idiot for years. If anyone deserved a break, especially after what K and Tohma had done to him, it was him, and an island packed full of Caspian clones was not his idea of heaven.

The rug stayed its course, pointed straight for Agrabah, and didn't try to explain things to Yuki. It wasn't sure how he felt about going back, but at this point, he didn't have a choice. The sun setting behind them illuminated its path and spurred it on; much longer, and Ryuichi might not make it.

"Hey, come on, try to answer, where the hell are we going?" Yuki said to the rug, one of his eyes twitching.

He was slightly panicked to have his future in the tassels of the thing that hated him the most, but he saw no other option. They were much higher than usual, flying over the ocean with only a few tiny islands below them. He'd heard about such places, and assumed that they were far to the west. Yuki deduced that they were heading east due to the sun setting behind them, and a shudder ran down his spine; it was taking him back to Agrabah.

"No, no, no, that's a terrible idea!" Yuki yelled, flicking the rug for fear that doing more would get him catapulted off. "Turn around, stop!"

In response, the rug sped up and Yuki almost lost his balance. He flicked it a few more times in vain, wondering if he could jump off onto a building before they reached the palace. The last place he wanted to be was there, and he had no concerns for his cohorts. He was sure that Mika wouldn't kill Shuichi, Ryuichi was wily, and he'd disowned K the minute that he'd followed Caspian's orders.

"Don't be stupid, they don't need our help! Tohma's a pushover! Stop flying!" Yuki told the rug, slapping it for emphasis.

When its only response was again acceleration, Yuki started to think about its motives. He'd never really sensed its concern this much, and he was curious as to why it was so desperate to reach Agrabah. It had no real connection to the city, so it couldn't be that it was worried about Mika and Tohma doing something in that arena, and K was under their control and beyond its help.

"Wait…" Yuki started to say, thinking that he'd stumbled onto the right answer. "You're worried about Ryuichi aren't you?"

The rug slowed its pace and did its best effort at emulating a nod, too focused on the task at hand to pull any stunts with the despised street rat.

"He doesn't need us, he'll be-"

Before Yuki could even finish his off-hand remark, the rug bucked and tried to throw him, speeding up again before Yuki fully recovered.

"HEY!" Yuki yelled, holding onto the rug for dear life. "Not cool!"

The rug ignored Yuki's outburst and kept going, still concerned about its friends.

Yuki muttered to himself some more, but didn't say anything else to the rug. It was clearly upset, and he didn't want to get tossed into the ocean. He kept repeating in his head that everyone was going to be fine, but the twitchiness of the usually calm carpet was starting to put him on edge.

Tohma had seemed pretty flipped out, and he wasn't sure how far he'd go to exact his revenge. As far as he knew, Ryuichi had never really involved himself too much with the vizier, and that should protect him, but if Caspian had K at his beck on call, things could get ugly. The longer he thought about his friends back in Agrabah, the tighter his stomach felt.

He stayed quiet for a bit longer, not wanting to give the carpet the satisfaction of a victory. His thoughts ran races in his head, and he couldn't keep the images of Ryuichi or Shuichi in Tohma's hands out of his head. He'd have given almost anything to go back to his mode of self-assured denial, but there was no turning back now. In his emotional state, he wasn't himself, and his thoughts were taking control of him. Instead of being able to tell himself to calm down, or to move on, or to ignore the twinges of guilt stabbing him in the gut, he kept focusing on the negative.

As soon as the nagging worry had flared up, the voice in the back of his head had been telling him that it was all his fault anyway. If his complex hadn't been bad before, it was now, and the thought of more harm being dealt to Shuichi than he'd planned on was killing him on the inside. After all, he was the one that had left the dungeon with Tohma, he was the one that had lied to everyone about his royal origins, and he was the one that had gone out of his way to piss off Tohma and Caspian. If anything happened to the people that he came close to calling bosom companions, it was on him, and that was becoming more real to him by the second.

He jammed his fingers into his eyes to chase out the macabre scenes dancing across them, but it was no good. The more gruesome they became, the worse he felt, and he couldn't stop it from happening. All he could do was listen to the rug's instinct and try to save the ones he'd planned on dooming.

"OK…let's go." Yuki told the rug, steeling himself for their inevitable return. The rug flew on below him, cutting through the falling darkness.

* * *

Ok, I know that this chapter is shorter than usual, but I didn't want to split up the fiasco that is Tohma attempting to take over the world. Therefore, this one may be tiny, but the next one shall be large enough to choke a donkey, i.e. it has three or four full-lenght parts to it. Not that I would ever choke a donkey…

Moving on. I can't wait to start working on the next scene, finally get to do my ending, and neither can Poser bird, he's been clucking at me incessantly for the last half an hour, now of course that could be due to his successful Mountain Dew raid, but who knows…

Wow, must be National Ramble Until Your Fingers Go Numb Night (or early morning at this point…)…nothing else to say really, just hold onto your pants and get ready for the end, 'cause it's a comin'!

-hyper Amaya


	36. Chapter 31 Part A

"Now this is how it should've been from the start." Tohma said, turning on the spot slowly to admire his decorating skills.

The throne room was painted in varying shades of red and black, and the entire place was draped with red velvet curtains. On the floor, illuminating the horrific image of Tohma and Caspian in power, was an army of tall gold candelabras. All of the pillars had been replaced and were covered in gold filigree leaves and vines. Instead of a throne, or any other semblance of order in the furniture, the floor was covered in squishy pillows and a gigantic gold bird palace, where Caspian was rummaging through a specially designed closet that K had made for him when Tohma wasn't looking. The structure had a flat roof with a sunken-in swimming pool, walls on all sides complete with elaborate window treatments, and several balconies with fountains and other statues.

Tohma flopped onto a large chintz chair and sighed contentedly. His new coat flowed out behind him, and he absentmindedly played with a corner of it while he scanned the peaceful scene, taking in every second of his glorious takeover. He was dressed in a black satin trench coat lined with red sequined material, and underneath that he was wearing a loose black shirt with a low cut 'v' in the front. His pants matched the shirt, and his shoes matched the lining of his coat. He was especially fond of them, and had spent five minutes cooing at them before Caspian had started calling him Nancy and other feminine names.

He hadn't yet decided what to do with his unfortunate prisoners, and as such, they were tied up behind a curtain somewhere; after all, they didn't quite match the new décor. K had refused to help him capture Shuichi, however, claiming that he wasn't enough of a threat to challenge the wish. He was leaning up against a far off pillar, glaring daggers through puffy red eyes. He'd cried non-stop for about an hour after the street rat had flown out o the window, and had only stopped when Mika threatened to remove his vocal cords without the help of surgical tools.

The satiny material of his new coat no longer holding his undivided attention, he got up and kissed the back of Mika's neck, pulling her behind the nearest curtain in order to do a more personal form of celebration.

"You do realize that I can still see you, right?" K said from his chosen pillow, quickly looking away to avoid anymore long-term emotional scarring.

"Then don't look!" Mika replied, pulling the curtain tighter and jumping into Tohma's arms. Ever since he'd become the man that she'd always suspected him to be, he was the catnip to her cat. She couldn't get enough of him, and she no longer cared if anyone laughed at her. If they did, Tohma could electrocute them.

"Tohma, keep the mouse in the house!" Caspian squalled from his cage, starting to feel jealous of all the attention Tohma was giving Mika. He was fine with some alone time, and he was definitely glad to have a lack of his owner curtailing his grand schemes involving glitter, but he had to draw the line somewhere.

"Oh, take a deep breath and –" Tohma started to reply before getting cut off by a ferocious kiss from Mika.

"Put the snake in its cage! Restrict its zoning privileges!" Caspian screeched at Tohma.

His order went unanswered, and a few seconds later he heard a thud and a squeak from Tohma. He rolled his eyes and continued digging through his new closet in his gigantic cage. Now that he'd had a taste of flashy outfits, he couldn't stop. All of his life, he'd ridiculed Tohma for his fashion sense, and he realized the hypocrisy of his new love, but that wasn't going to stop him. No matter how much he tried, he didn't think he'd ever get enough glitter into his day-to-day routine.

He'd narrowed it down to two equally amazing choices, and was utterly torn. He wanted to look spectacular for when their takeover was official. Tohma hadn't discussed the third wish with anyone, but Caspian was pretty sure that he'd use it to bypass the normal rules and take over the city. Caspian sighed and closed his eyes, swaying back and forth and trying to choose randomly.

"Just pick one already!" Shuichi yelled at Caspian. He was leaning against an overly-decorated pillar, and trying not to dwell on losing Yuki was making him snake-ish. He couldn't see what the bird was doing, but based on the heated parrot debate issuing from the air-conditioned mansion, it was definitely clothing related.

"Don't make me come over there!" Caspian yelled back, grabbing one of the outfits and shuffling into it haughtily.

"Bird, calm yourself." K told Caspian, scratching his head and sighing.

He was still numb from what Tohma had done to Yuki and it was all he could do to keep it together. The sooner Tohma picked his last wish, the better. He couldn't believe that he'd rather be in his lamp then out and about, but he did. He felt intensely guilty for abandoning Yuki, even though the street rat had done quite a bit to deserve it. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Yuki's untimely demise had been partially his fault, and the only way that he could hope to make up for it was to protect Shuichi from Tohma, Caspian, and Mika's plots.

"Don't tell me what to do, genie." Caspian commanded, narrowing his eyes and glaring at K. He preened himself quickly in the mirror, making sure that he was looking as snazzy as possible. Once he was sure that he was fabulous, he stepped out of his new house and twirled, expecting a round of gratuitous applause.

"Oh lord, could you be any tackier?" Shuichi quipped, pushing off of his pillar to examine the glitter-clad bird closer. "That's ridiculous."

"You're not helping…" K said in a sing-song voice, widening his eyes at Shuichi. He had a few choice words for the parrot, but he also had the distinct desire to keep his head for as long as possible. In light of his wanting to live, he kept quiet, not wanting to drag Tohma and his newly potent magic into the mix.

Caspian had decided on a fitted jacket made entirely out of sparkly blue material. The cuffs and hem were decorated with rhinestones and lace, and the inside of the affront to fashion was lined with peacock feathers. To top it all off, he'd put on some platform shoes and a punk spiked wig, complete with blue streaks of glitter.

"You're ridiculous!" Po snapped, insulted. "You just wish you could look this good!"

"Right…" Shuichi responded, rolling his eyes at the bird. "My aspiration in life is to be a flaming flamingo."

"Well, you're halfway there!" Caspian screeched, flapping indignantly and adjusting his wig. "And I'm not a flamingo!"

"Had me fooled."

"Not too hard to accomplish that one." Po responded, thrilled to hear something intelligent coming out of his beak for once that evening.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shuichi asked, glaring at Caspian.

"Figure it out, Princey, or is that too hard for you?" Caspian prodded, back to strutting around in his fancy new duds.

He'd been in a terrible mood ever since Yuki's departure, and he couldn't help but feel picked on. He knew from past experiences that Caspian said horrid things to everyone, and that he shouldn't rise to the taunt, but it was half his fault that Yuki was most likely dead. He might not have cast the final spell, but he'd given the order with his stupid song.

The longer he stayed silent and brooded over Caspian's implicit involvement in Yuki's demise, the angrier he got. Thanks to Caspian and Tohma, all the people he'd come to care for were either tied up, dead, or forced to fight for evil. He glared at the bird some more and started seeing spots. He'd never felt the desire to truly hurt something, but he was starting to understand what it felt like.

"Shut up!" Shuichi yelled at Caspian, his sarcastic wit falling away now that he was envisioning the bird roasting on a spit.

"Oh, wow, that was…ingenious. I'm reeling from the shock of your astuteness finally coming through." Caspian replied, flapping over to a large candelabrum in order to get closer to Shuichi, who was starting to turn crimson.

Shuichi took a swipe at Caspian's new perch, sending the bird flying and the fiery decoration tumbling.

"HEY!" Caspian screeched, his wig askew and shoes long gone from his panicked flight. He'd alighted on one of the curtains, and was currently trying to figure out the best way to launch his impending counterattack. He couldn't let such a slight go, especially now that his party was the one in power.

"Stay away from me!" Shuichi told Caspian, crossing his arms and feeling innately pleased with himself. The bird rarely fled from anyone, and he was honored to be on that small list.

"Shouldn't have done that…" K interjected, still in a sing-song voice. He shook his head at Shuichi and started backing up, feeling obligated to protect the Prince but scared of Caspian's retribution all the same.

"I'll do what I want!" Caspian yelled back at Shuichi, jumping off of the curtain and flying straight for the prince.

"Bring it on!" Shuichi yelled, curling up his fists and standing his ground. When the bird got close enough, he took a few swings, but missed and tripped over himself instead.

"Brilliant!" Caspian called out, soaring around the ornate throne room. Shuichi was still down, dazed from hitting his head on the marble floor.

He took the opportunity to swoop down the on the prince, intending to go for the kill while Tohma wasn't around to stop him.

"Oh no you don't!" K yelled at Caspian, brandishing his gun. "You stay away from him!"

K cocked his gun and raised his eyebrows when Caspian ignored his command, and the careening bird swerved out of the way right before making contact with Shuichi's face. K fired off a warning shot for good measure, not looking where he was aiming, and hitting Caspian's precious abode. Caspian let out a bloodcurdling scream and immediately headed for his home, wondering if he had enough hot glue to repair the fifty-caliber bullet hole in his front room.

"That's better." K said, holstering his weapon and walking over to help Shuichi up. "You alright?"

"Yeah…" Shuichi whispered, rubbing the back of his head.

He'd been so mad up until now, and his anger was quickly being replaced with a sense of helplessness. Yuki and K had fought Caspian and Tohma for so long, and they'd never stopped, never given up, and here he was, out for the count because he'd tripped over his own feet. Tears started to well up in his eyes and the pain from missing Yuki flooded back into him, bringing him down to his knees.

He couldn't understand how someone so strong had been defeated so easily, just by Tohma flicking his wrist, and it pained him to think about Yuki being gone for good. If he'd left the palace, refused to marry him, at least he'd still be alive, and at least he, Shuichi, would've had a chance to see him again through a lucky chance encounter. Now, however, he was dead, and he really wouldn't see him again.

"Shuichi, don't, not here." K whispered, sensing what was wrong. Shuichi was sitting on the floor looking like a lost puppy, with his arms wrapped around himself and a vacant expression in his eyes. Caspian had returned to his cage and K didn't want the horrible bird to overhear Shuichi's tears. "Don't let them win!"

"They already have…" Shuichi moaned, starting to shake.

"Aww, does somebody miss his little friend?" Caspian cooed, landing on K's shoulder and smiling sadistically at Shuichi. Now that his house had been destroyed, it was personal. "Poor little baby."

"SHUT UP!" Shuichi screamed, getting up and launching himself at the bird, ignoring the fact that he was still on K. He tackled the genie and the three of them went down, landing dangerously close to the overturned, and still it, candelabrum.

Caspian tried to scuttle out of harm's reach, but Shuichi slammed his hand down on the bird's tail and held him down, scrambling over K to get closer to his quarry.

"Shuichi, NO!" K ordered, grabbing Shuichi's waist and trying to roll him away from Caspian. He succeeded after a few tugs, and sent the light prince flying over him, straight into the candlestick holder, which rolled away and landed next to one of the heavy red curtains.

Shuichi kicked out frantically, trying to get a hand on the frenzied conure, hell-bent on killing him. Caspian lapsed into parroty screams and kept running around the area in circles, his superior intellect failing him.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Tohma questioned, ripping open the curtains that had previously concealed his romantic interlude with the Sultana. He stopped short when he caught sight of his marvelous throne room and gasped, horrified.

Half of the curtains were blazing, Caspian's palace was blasted in half, his bird was tearing around the room like a beheaded chicken, and K and Shuichi were wrestling around, scuffing his beloved black marble flooring.

"STOP!" Tohma yelled, flapping his arms and coming unglued. "CEASE! DISSEST!"

"Tohma, you have magic!" Mika reminded her twitching lover, upset at the interruption. She had no idea who'd caused it, but it was most likely Shuichi's fault.

"Oh…right…" Tohma muttered, clearing his throat and clapping his hands. The fires instantly went out, the curtains were replaced, Caspian's mansion was fixed, the bird's beak was duct taped shut, and K and Shuichi flew apart. Tohma pulled out a rag and walked over to the assaulted marble and buffed out the blemishes. "There. That's better."

"Mmmm mmm!" Caspian yelled, hopping up and down on the floor. When Tohma ignored him, he flipped over and started to pry of the tape with his feet. He lost his wig in the process and left it off, tiring of the spectacle.

"Not now. Who started this?" Tohma asked, transforming the rag into a stick and pointing it around the room. "Who?"

"The bird." K answered immediately.

"The Prince!" Caspian said loudly, wadding up the tape and throwing it at K. "He's lying!"

"I'm sure it was Shuichi, love, this is what he does. We should just kill him." Mika said matter-of-factly, wanting to be heard. She'd been trying to get rid of Shuichi for years, and this was her best chance.

"Isn't that what you'd call overreacting?" K asked, crossing his arms.

"You can't kill me!" Shuichi yelled at Mika, considering attacking her too.

"Watch me." Mika replied through gritted teeth, practically hissing at her stepson. "Tohma!"

"I really don't feel comfortable with that…" Tohma whispered, unwilling to use the full range of his powers now that he had them.

"Then use the genie!"

"But it's my last wish!"

"Then I'll just take the lamp when you're done!"

"Technically, you can't –" K tried to interject, realizing that neither of them knew the rules of his lamp.

"Shut up!" Mika and Tohma yelled together, silencing K for the moment.

"Just use the wish, Tohma!" Mika said on an exhale, visions of a dead Shuichi dancing through her head. "Please? For me?"

"Anything for you…" Tohma replied, almost in a trance. "Genie!"

"Yes?"

"K, no!" Shuichi cried out, eyes popping. He had a taste for bird-flavored revenge, and he didn't want to die before he got it.

"I wish for you to kill Shuichi!" Tohma sang out, pointing at the Prince.

K gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth, looking thoroughly scandalized even though he'd known the outrageous wish was coming.

"Just do it!" Mika said breathlessly, leaning forward and practically salivating.

"Well…there are a few rules…certain things I can't do…" K muttered, putting his hands behind his back and tracing the designs in the dark marble with his toes.

"KILL HIM!" Mika roared, coming unglued.

"Rules?" Tohma asked, grabbing Mika's waist and restraining her. "Mika, please, hear him out. Breathe!"

K sighed and lapsed into an explanation of his limitations, highlighting the fact that he couldn't kill anyone. In his experiences with bloodthirsty lunatics, he'd found that if you made them sleepy, they mellowed out quite a bit. A nap could solve any problem, and k was curious to see if this would hold true for Tohma. If he could wear him out with words, he wasn't technically breaking any rules and he might be able to buy Shuichi some time. He sighed again for emphasis and plowed on, his voice becoming more and more monotone the longer he drew out the usually short telling of the finer details of his servitude.

By the time he'd finished, his voice had died down to almost a whisper, and his talking speed had slowed to that of a turtle's pace. Mika looked even angrier, and Tohma looked like he might be falling asleep standing up. Shuichi was still on edge, biting at his nails and watching the proceedings closely, completely oblivious to the conure sneaking closer and closer to his unguarded foot.

"And those...are…the rules." K said finally, watching Tohma closely to see if his master plan had worked. He'd considered mentioning pillows and warm milk, but that felt like he was pushing it.

"Took you long enough." Mika spat, shaking her head and glaring at K. "Jeez."

"Milady, please…now we have to figure out some other way to kill him…" Tohma started to say, his voice groggy. He led Mika off to the side and yawned, stretching to wake himself up. He didn't want K to overhear anything else, as he was pretty sure that the genie had a soft spot for the Prince. If he tried to interfere, it would be a lot harder to dispose of Mika's unwanted ward.

K's head snapped up at Tohma's last sentence; his rules hadn't dissuaded the vizier at all. Even if he didn't fall asleep on the spot or wander off to a bed, K had hoped that he would back down after being denied magical assistance, but this wasn't the case. He'd clearly underestimated the Sultana's hold on her vizier, and he regretted it. He wished he had some way that he could communicate with Shuichi, but Caspian seemed pretty attached to pissing off the doomed Prince while he was still alive.

He ran a hand through his hair, frantically trying to figure out what to do. He had to distract Tohma before he got the idea ball rolling. He thought over any loopholes to his contract, knowing full well that he couldn't outright attack his master when he'd expressly wished for his assistance in making things go smoothly. He danced in place, eyes shut tight and mind running a marathon. When one of his guns slipped out of its holster and fired when it hit the floor he was blessed with sudden inspiration. If he 'accidentally' shot someone, then he couldn't be blamed for it.

He smiled to himself and retrieved the gun, pulling out a cloth to polish it. He whistled to himself while he worked, ignoring the screaming coming from Shuichi and Caspian; they could handle themselves for now, he had bigger morons to deal with. When he was sure that no one was looking his way, he slowly aimed the gun at Tohma, not too picky about where he shot the plotting vizier. He whistled a few more bars of his tune and then quickly squeezed the trigger, dropping the gun as soon as he did to support his 'accident' ploy.

"Oh no!" K called out dramatically, putting the back of his hand on his forehead and lifting a foot. "Deary me, what have I gone and done?"

K ceased his antics and flashed a quick look at Tohma to see if he'd hit him. When a delayed shriek of pain pierced the tense air, he smiled to himself and immediately re-adopted his concerned face.

"YOU SHOT ME!" Tohma screamed, clutching a bloody foot. "IN THE FOOT!"

"It was an accident." K said, batting his eyes and smiling innocently.

"Bullshit!" Tohma yelled back, a vein popping in his forehead. "You stupid genie!"

"Tohma, just heal yourself already, we have to figure this out!" Mika said to Tohma, trying to grab his arm to drag him back. He shook her off ferociously, eyes popping and focused on K.

"You're my servant! You mutinous fool!"

"I was just cleaning them…" K offered up, shrugging mischievously. "Could've happened to anyone, at least it was just your foot…"

He usually didn't play this role, but the angrier Tohma was, the more hare-brained his ideas seemed to get. He smiled again, and picked up the gun, smacking it lightly to punish it. When Tohma didn't look amused he stashed the gun and gave him a finger wave.

"Genie!"

"Tohma?"

"I'm your master!" Tohma spat, hopping over to K with as much dignity as he could muster. "You listen to me!"

"I am." K replied, looking at the ceiling. He was purposely avoiding eye contact, hoping that it would piss off Tohma even more.

"HEY! LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M LECTURING YOU!" Tohma bellowed, spit flying at K. "YOU ARE MY SUBORDINATE! YOU LISTEN TO ME! YOU DO NOT SHOOT AT ME! YOU BOW TO ME!"

"Hey man, I don't know what you've heard, I don't 'bow' to anyone." K said, breaking his act and putting air quotes around the word 'bow'. "And you barely count as a master."

"I PULLED THE TRIGGER!"

"So did I." K hissed at Tohma, narrowing his eyes and gesturing to the bloody foot.

"You admit it!"

"Nope….didn't say I purposefully pulled the trigger." K said, raising his eyebrows twice fast and smiling wide at Tohma.

"That's enough!" Tohma said, wiping some froth from his mouth. Caspian and Shuichi ceased their wrestling, afraid that Tohma's command was directed at them. "I'm your master, you will obey me!"

He reached over and grabbed K's collar, wrenching him down to eye level. Mika gasped and made bedroom eyes at Tohma, thoroughly enjoying the full extent of his power tripping.

"We clear?"

"Crystal." K answered, straightening up and taking Tohma with him. "Anytime you want down, you just let me know."

Tohma flailed for a few seconds, afraid to land on his foot from any sort of height. K stretched and made himself taller, enjoying himself.

"Put me down." Tohma said quietly, not meeting K's eye this time.

"What's the magic word?" K asked, a musical lilt to his voice.

"Please put me down…" Tohma whispered, glad that Caspian was occupied. The bird would never let him live this one down, especially not after he'd just tried to assert his dominion over K.

"That's better, look who's learning!" K beamed, lowering Tohma to the ground and patting him on the head.

Tohma muttered under his breath and waved his hand over his foot, healing it. He glared at K and stomped off, nose held high in the air. Before he could regain his concentration, a shadow flitting through on the uncovered windows caught his attention. He stopped and watched closer, not entirely sure if there was really something there. When nothing happened for a few minutes, he sighed and moved on, trying to remember what he'd been considering before the mean genie had shot his toe off.

_To be continued…_

* * *

And we've finally reached the epic fight scene! Dun dun dun! I'd planned on making this one huge chapter, but I'm already at seventeen pages and Tohma hasn't even transformed into something yet. I think I have a problem, might have to restrict my stream of consciousness style if this madness keeps up. I really don't want a fifty page fight. That would feel superfluous, now wouldn't it? (Ha, I wrote this A/N before I finished the scene, which is forty pages long...got darn close to fifty. 0__0)

Nah, I'm not THAT bad. Now if Po were in charge of typing, then we'd have a real problem. I hope you all got a laugh out of this mess, that's practically the point of this crazy thing.

Have a good end-of-school month guys,

Amaya

P.S. - this is the first part of a double update, thus the Thursday posting, and Part B of the same chapter will be posted on Saturday. Maybe Friday, I dunno. Anyway, see you in a day or two.


	37. Chapter 31 Part B

"I told you we should have come in a different way!" Yuki hissed at the carpet, swatting it. "That was too damn close!"

They had just arrived in the city, and though Yuki had tried to dissuade the rug about charging right in, it had ignored him completely and flown in through a window. He'd thought about jumping off and taking his own way in, but his only option had been the courtyard where Cinda lived, and she was throwing an awful fit, enraged by Shuichi's screams.

"If we get caught…" Yuki muttered, glaring daggers at the carpet. They were balanced carefully on top of one of Tohma's gaudy velvet curtains, waiting for a chance to intervene.

"Maybe this isn't something we should force…" Tohma said to Mika in an offhand manner, not wanting to let on that he'd forgotten all of their murderous ideas about the Prince. "Maybe we should just wait for an opportunity to present itself."

"Tohma…" Mika muttered, glaring at Tohma.

"Just trust me…haven't I proven myself yet?" Tohma asked, hoping that bringing up his genius would suffice for an adequate distraction.

K perked up at this, wondering if he really had done some good and saved Shuichi for the day. He fell onto one of the cushier pillows and reclined, thrilled with himself.

"I suppose you have." Mika said suggestively, closing the distance and kissing Tohma. "You did know that Prince Eiri was a stinking street rat, you knew he had the genie, you stole his lamp, you killed the liar, you've done everything right..."

"Mmm hmm…" Tohma agreed wordlessly, kissing her back.

"And I'm sorry I didn't believe you…" Mika continued, kissing Tohma's neck and shoulder. He'd explained all of the details to her after he'd sent the fake Prince flying out of the window. As hard as it was to accept that she'd been wrong, she really had no choice. It was obvious that Eiri was an imposter, and that his charming assistant had been the genie in disguise. She'd felt stupid for a moment when Tohma reached the part of the story where she'd thrown him in prison, but she'd promised to more than make it up to him later. Now that he had the ability to overthrow her and leave her behind, she wanted to make sure that he didn't. Killing her stepson could wait; as long as she had Tohma's magic on her side, she was set.

"I know…" Tohma whispered, leaning in for another kiss. Instead, Mika put her fingers on his lips and pushed him away.

"Do you?" she asked quickly, wanting to guarantee her security. "You brilliant, brilliant man…"

"Oh yes, I do…" Tohma answered, kissing at Mika's fingers. Mika moved them out of the way and jumped into Tohma's arms, keeping him occupied for a few minutes.

"Still at it…" Yuki whispered, shaking his head and grimacing. It was horrible to watch Tohma being happy. He scanned the room, trying to get a lay of the land. K was lounging on some pillows, and Yuki couldn't tell if he looked worried or bored, or some sort of combination. Shuichi and Caspian were sitting on the floor, a few feet apart, making faces and inappropriate hand gestures at one another. He tried to find his brown-haired cohort, but he was nowhere to be seen. He stayed where he was in the curtains, and the carpet hovered beside him, still waiting for an opening. "Come on already…"

They broke their embrace five minutes later, and Mika flitted off and collapsed on a pillow, looking thoroughly exhausted. Tohma wandered around the room, trying to decide what to do next. He'd never staged a successful coup, and he wasn't sure what to do with himself if he wasn't yelling at subordinates, feeling up his woman, or reprimanding his bird.

He walked around in circles, scratching his head and looking confused. He played with his coat to stimulate some creative thought, and ended up conjuring up a fancy pillow and table for the lamp, which up until now had stayed on his hip. Once that was done he started pacing again, wishing he had a handbook for this.

"Tohma, what are you doing?" Mika asked after a bit. She'd been waiting for Caspian to say something insulting, but he was busy having a staring contest with Shuichi.

"Thinking."

"About what?"

"I dunno."

"Need something to do?" Mika asked, sighing and pushing off of the pillow.

"Yes…"

"Assert your power, kill something, create some new crazy law, torture a prisoner…" Mika listed out, ticking her ideas off on her fingers. "That's what dictators usually do, isn't it?"

"I suppose…" Tohma answered. "But I don't want to kill anything, you make the laws, and we don't have any-WAIT!"

Tohma giggled manically and jogged over to where he'd stashed Ryuichi and Tatsuha. He'd forgotten that he had prisoners, and he was starting to get excited about the prospect of torture. That was usually Caspian's area of expertise, and he was looking forward to exploring that world alone and unaided, as the bird was still staring down the Prince. Both of them were tearing up, and Shuichi was twitching, but neither would give in.

K looked up again when Tohma started giggling, concerned for whoever was the cause of his glee. He remained seated, though he kept a close eye on Tohma and the bird.

"Well, which one of you wants to go first?" Tohma asked, throwing back the curtain and nudging Ryuichi with his foot. "I think you should volunteer, you and that rabbit."

Yuki instinctively grabbed the carpet, sensing that this was not the time to attack. Tohma was too close to Ryuichi, and there was no way for him to signal his only real ally. K was under oath to help Tohma, and Shuichi was concentrating on outdoing the puffed up conure.

"No! Take me instead!" Tatsuha said to Tohma, inching forward as best he could. The time he'd spent tied up next to Ryuichi had been heaven for him. Ryuichi had spent the time trying to free Kuma, and he'd passed the time trying not to drool on his fellow prisoner, and as such, he was unwilling to have his beloved untied for fear that his fantasy would come to an end.

"I'll get to you…" Tohma promised, untying Ryuichi and dragging him forward.

"Tohma, wait, let him go. He's my captain, he won't cause any trouble." Mika said, running forward and standing between Tohma and Tatsuha. He'd been loyal to her since his appointment to the guard, and she didn't feel right about letting Tohma have his way with him.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Tohma asked Mika skeptically. Rumor had it that Tatsuha and Ryuichi were good friends, not to mention Tatsuha offering to take the first round, and the last thing he wanted was any potentially dangerous alliances being unleashed on him.

"Yes, I am." Mika said. "Right, Tatsuha?"

Tatsuha weighed his options and thought about his answer carefully. He could swear his allegiance to Ryuichi, but that wouldn't help anyone. If he played along with the Sultana, he'd be free, and they might have a chance to escape. He took a deep breath and steadied his heart rate, knowing that he had to be a good actor in order to pull this off.

"Of course, my Sultana." Tatsuha replied smoothly, bowing his head to Mika. She in turn untied him and patted him on the back, smiling reassuringly. She apologized quietly and led him off to the side, out of Tohma's way.

"Tatsuha!" Ryuichi said, tears forming instantly. He'd thought that Tatsuha was his friend, and he was blatantly betraying him.

"Quiet you!" Tohma ordered, knocking Ryuichi over with his foot. "Now, give me that rabbit…"

"NO!" Ryuichi screamed, flopping around on the floor and trying to save his companion. Tohma reached down and snagged the bunny from his grasp, cackling. Shuichi hopped up from the floor and away from Caspian, willing to lose to the bird in order to save Ryuichi.

"Mika, restrain that!" Tohma said to Mika, noticing the movement. Caspian flew up and landed on his shoulder, rubbing on his face to say hello and then puffing up to look scary and manly, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea about his toughness.

Mika walked over to Shuichi and pulled his arm up behind him, keeping him from lunging at Tohma.

"And what do you want?" Tohma asked Caspian. "Decide to be friends again?"

The bird had been exceedingly cold ever since Tohma had found his way back into Mika's favor, and his shunning had been rather obvious.

"Yep." Caspian answered concisely, interested in what was about to happen to Kumagoro. He'd always considered himself the best sidekick, and the smartly dressed rabbit upstart was threatening his title. Even if it meant burying the hatchet with Tohma, he had to be a part of the rabbit's end.

"That was fast…" Tohma said, looking sideways at Caspian and raising an eyebrow. "You're just in it for the blood, aren't you?"

"Tohma! I'm insulted!" Caspian squeaked, throwing his head sideways and looking rather affronted. "How could you!"

"Yeah, right…" Tohma replied, rolling his eyes at the glittery, melodramatic parrot and flicking him a few times. "Fine, let's be friends again."

"OK, here's how it's goin' down…we need fire, a troll, a few large knives, and a gigantic mallet." Caspian spewed quickly, clucking to himself to make sure he'd remembered everything.

"I think I want to take this one on my own, if that's alright with you, bird." Tohma said, scratching Caspian's neck to make sure the bird didn't take it the wrong way. He'd been looking forward to his solo debut into the world of torture, and he didn't want the bird to over-enthusiastically rain on his parade. "Not that that doesn't sound like a…wonderful idea."

"But!"

"Bird…"

"Tohma! I wanna play too!" Caspian squalled, hopping up and down and whining in an extremely shrill voice. "PLEASE!"

"Caspian! Breathe!" Tohma told the bird, used to his begging. He flicked him a few more times, waiting for the quacking to subside.

"I want to kill the bunny!" Caspian screamed, flapping his wings in his excitement and smacking Tohma in the face. "You said we were friends again!"

"You can kill the other one! I've got this one, just calm down." Tohma told Caspian, conjuring a bucket of donut holes on the floor next to him to distract the conure. Even if he agreed to stay out of the planning process, he was like a shark. As soon as he sensed blood in the water, he was bound to somehow get involved, unless of course there were sugary treats in the vicinity.

"DONUTS!" Caspian screamed, diving into the bucket. All thoughts of bunny-cide flew out of his head and he clawed his way into his own personal heaven, savoring each delicious bite. Tohma could have all the prisoners for all he cared, as long as no one took away his precious love.

"Caspian…" Tohma sighed, shaking his head at the bird. At least he was predictable, but it was still sad to see his right-hand bird making such a fool of himself. He shook his head a little bit harder and cleared his throat, getting himself into the zone. He had a rabbit to torture after all. "Well, let's get this show on the road."

"NOO!" Ryuichi screamed again, trying to get up.

K raised his head slightly and looked over, feeling utterly useless. Ryuichi was definitely a threat to Tohma, and no amount of accidental shooting could change that. He'd have to sit by and watch, and if Tohma called him over to help with Kuma, he'd have to. The rabbit wasn't real, and he was bound to follow Tohma's orders as long as they pertained to his second wish.

He sighed heavily and looked away, hating himself. Ever since he'd failed to distract Tohma from massacring those closest to him, he'd shut himself down and tried to stay busy watching the ceiling. He was about to give that up too when a shadow caught his attention. He whipped out his gun and looked closer, trying to figure out what was haunting the room.

"Dammit…hold still!" Yuki told the rug. Ryuichi's agonized screams were putting it into a frenzy, and it was taking all of Yuki's strength to keep it from attacking Tohma. He glanced down into the room to check on the situation and noticed that K was staring in their direction. "Seriously, someone will see us, knock it the hell off!"

K scanned the ceiling for a few more seconds, and then told himself that it was his overactive imagination. Besides, if anyone, or anything, was in the room, they wouldn't last long once Caspian extricated himself from the donut bucket.

"Now, what to do, what to do…" Tohma said to himself, twirling in place with Kumagoro held high.

"Leave him alone! PLEASE!" Ryuichi shrieked, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't bear the thought of a life without Kumagoro.

"You're starting to annoy me…" Tohma whispered dangerously, tossing the rabbit aside and turning his attention to Ryuichi. "So I'll play with you first."

"Kuma…" Ryuichi whimpered, crawling towards his rabbit.

"No, not going to be that easy!" Tohma said cheerfully, clapping his hands together and depositing Ryuichi into a large cage that hung a few feet off of the ground. "Aww, do you want your bunny?"

"KUMA!" Ryuichi shrieked, clawing at the bars and coming unglued. Tohma had picked him up again, and was tossing him in the air.

"So this is what's most important to you? Is he your best friend?" Tohma asked Ryuichi softly, a malicious glint in his eyes. He hadn't forgotten how Ryuichi and Kuma had assaulted him in the hallway, and he wasn't going to forgive that easily.

"Yes…" Ryuichi cried, the tears starting to affect his voice. Tatsuha turned away and tried not to hear. He was committed to saving his love, but there was nothing he could do with Mika watching him so closely and Tohma still warming up.

"How sentimental." Tohma replied, clapping again and making a large vat of lava appear next to Ryuichi's cage. Tatsuha immediately stepped forward, ready to act if he thought that Ryuichi's life would be in danger. In response to the clanging from the pot's arrival, Caspian wrenched his head out of his donuts and popped up over the edge of the bucket, curious about what Tohma was up to.

"Tohma…be careful…" Mika cautioned, more than a little concerned about Tohma and liquid fire working together. She tightened her grip on Shuichi and gulped.

"Stop fretting love, I know what I'm doing." Tohma said over his shoulder, ceasing his jaunty tossing of Kumagoro and summoning a rope. He tied it around the bunny's waist and snapped his fingers, securing the robe to the ceiling above the lava. In one hand he held the other end of the rope, and once he made sure that he had Ryuichi's undivided attention, he started lowering Kumagoro into the fiery concoction.

"KUMAGORO! KUMA! NOOOO! PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM!" Ryuichi screamed, sobbing uncontrollably. Ryuichi started swinging his cage in an attempt to save his friend, but Tohma had put him just out of reach of Kumagoro. "PLEASE!"

"Genie, some ambiance please." Tohma called over to K, smiling wide.

"That's not part of the wish." K replied, standing up and walking over to the vizier.

"You'll do it, or he'll get the same!" Tohma told K, jerking his head towards Ryuichi and trying to look K in the eye.

"You have magic, do it yourself." K answered, glaring down at the shorter man. "And I'm so flattered that you look up to me. Really, just beside myself, so honored."

"Very funny…" Tohma hissed, turning on his heel and stomping away. If the genie wouldn't cooperate, he'd pay, and after the slight on his height, he was feeling capable of murder. He raised his arms and some deep tribal music started playing.

"Hey! That's my music!" Caspian screeched, hopping onto the edge of his bucket and twitching at Tohma. "Tohma!"

"Caspian, not now!" Tohma yelled at the bird, waving him off and returning to the task at hand. He dropped more of the rope and watched Ryuichi's panic-stricken face tighten even more.

"Please, please, I'll do anything!" Ryuichi shrieked, his eyes red and bulging from his tears. "I'm begging you!"

Shuichi struggled against Mika's grasp, trying to break through. He hated seeing his friend in such agony, and he didn't want anything to happen to Kumagoro either. Up in the curtains, Yuki was starting to lose his battle against the rug, and he was wondering if it was a good idea to keep fighting it. If someone didn't intervene to save the stupid rabbit, Ryuichi would be completely devastated, and he'd be impossible to live with.

"But it's my jam!" Caspian said, still twitching.

"Caspian!" Tohma replied, shaking his fist at the bird and lowering Kuma some more. The rabbit's feet were getting very close to touching the lava, and Ryuichi looked like he'd reached his breaking point in the cage. "Behave yourself!"

"Oh, I'll behave…" Caspian muttered, flying over to his house and rummaging through his closet. He emerged wearing a hula grass skirt and an elaborate feather headdress. "Just watch me…"

Caspian flew over to the lava pot and perched on the edge, doing his best tribal dance around the simmering liquid.

"Oh good lord…" Tohma whispered, banging his palm against his forehead several times. "That's not behaving!"

"You just wish you could dance like this!" Caspian replied haughtily, stepping up his routine and adding some jumps and spins.

Tatsuha looked away from the grotesque parrot dancing and closed his eyes, wishing that there was an easy way out of this. The genie seemed like he was torn, but there was really nothing he could do. If Tohma was going to be stopped, it was up to him.

He took a deep, rattled breath and started trying to formulate a plan. He had to not only save Ryuichi, but also the rabbit or the former would never recover. He loved his job, and had been thrilled to get it, but he loved Ryuichi more and if it meant losing his career, or even his life, he'd do anything for the thief. Something in him had changed for the better when he'd befriended him, and he'd go through hell and back if it would better Ryuichi's life.

Hearing his love in so much pain was about to kill him anyway, and the way he saw it, Tohma couldn't hurt him anymore than he already was. He could be the one dangling over the lava, or being fed to Caspian, or ripped apart by some other sinister spell and it wouldn't compare to how he was feeling now. It felt like someone was punching him repeatedly in the stomach, and the longer he sat idly by while Ryuichi screamed his lungs out the more intense the pain was.

He sighed and gritted his teeth, preparing to take on the enhanced vizier and his small army of cohorts. He took a deep breath and started running towards the lava vat. He knocked Tohma out of the way and grabbed the searing edge, catapulting himself over it and tucking the bunny safely into his arms. He rolled when he landed on the other side and immediately started running in zigzags, terrified that Tohma would start casting spells at him.

"Tatsuha!" Ryuichi squealed, jumping up and down and clapping, the miserable panic subsiding instantaneously.

"What the hell?" Tohma asked, disoriented. He rubbed his hands and winced, his palms rubbed red from Tatsuha wrenching the rope out of his hands. "Mika! You said we could trust him!"

"I thought we could!" Mika yelled back, twisting Shuichi's arm and making him yelp.

"Now!" Yuki said to the rug, jumping on its back and swatting it a few times. "Come on, what are you waiting for, go, go!"

The rug swooped forward and Yuki jumped off, landing near where Tatsuha was crouching with Kumagoro, occupied with untying the rabbit. Tatsuha screamed and fell over backwards, startled at the sudden appearance of a street rat that was supposed to have been dead for weeks. When Yuki smacked his flailing legs and shushed him, he quieted down, his eyes popping.

"Shut up! You help Ryuichi, I'm going after Tohma." Yuki hissed at Tatsuha, still shushing the blubbering guard. After witnessing his heroic rescue of Kumagoro, Yuki realized that he'd joined their side for Ryuichi's sake, and he was relieved that he had one less person to worry about.

The carpet made a beeline for Caspian and knocked him off of the pot, earning itself several vicious bites and several highly insulting curse words.

"RUG!" Tohma screamed, trying to zap the rug and missing terribly. Instead, he hit the lava container and exploded it, showering the area with magma.

"Watch what you're doing!" K yelled, snapping and turning the boiling rain into flowers. Once that crisis was averted, he quietly cheered on the rug man, dancing a little whenever it scored a blow on the parrot.

Yuki started darting around the various cushions in all of the confusion caused by Tohma's mishap, distinctly aware that he needed to regain control of K. If he had to go up against a power-crazed Tohma and K, not to mention Caspian and the Sultana, with only a bunny-hugging ex-guard captain, Shuichi, and a possessed piece of flooring, things weren't going to go well. Tohma had left the lamp unguarded on a fancy table, and Yuki channeled his thieving instincts to avoid capture; if Tohma caught him, it was all over.

"GET IT PO!" Tohma screamed enthusiastically, afraid to attack the carpet with it so close to Caspian. The bird had escaped its clutches after being tackled and was now engaging in a heated game of tag with it, shedding feathers, grass from his skirt, and thread as he went.

"I'm working on it!" Caspian replied, somersaulting in midair and launching himself at the carpet for a renewed assault.

Mika watched the aerial battle with mild interest, paying more attention to restraining Shuichi, who was squirming even harder now that an ally had reappeared. She'd already lost some points from Tatsuha's betrayal and the last thing she wanted was to set Shuichi loose on Tohma, who was crouched next to a pillar, afraid to look at what was happening above him. His initial joy at Caspian's varyingly successful counterattacks had given way into maternal worrying, and Mika was trying very hard not to doubt his ability to hold it together.

She looked away from the chaos and felt herself go numb with shock; it wasn't just the rug that had magically reappeared. The street rat was bolting towards the unguarded lamp, and no one else had seen him, not even Shuichi, who was currently occupied with trying to gnaw himself free by chomping the air near her shoulder.

"TOHMA! RAT!" Mika yelled, her voice cracking with the effort. "LAMP!"

"NOOO!" Tohma bellowed, spinning around on the floor and catching sight of Yuki streaking towards his ill-gotten treasure. "No you don't!"

Tohma stood up and smacked his hands together, sending a shockwave towards Yuki that knocked him off of his feet and sent him flying into a pillar. K stepped forward and then stopped himself, knowing full well that he couldn't help his friend. Instead, he groaned angrily and punched a few pillows, trying to calm down.

"Eiri!" Shuichi called out, immune to the shock of seeing his supposedly dead lover resurrected. He'd been dead three times now, and the novelty of it was starting to wear off. He started twisting violently to break Mika's hold on his arm, and when he stomped on her feet a few times, she finally slipped a little bit. He pushed off of her and ran for all he was worth towards Yuki, wanting to shield him from Tohma. He was writhing around on the floor, trying to pull himself. Above, Caspian and the rug kept up their battle, each intent on destroying the other. There was still bad blood from the first incident, and neither was ready to give in.

"No…get the…lamp…" Yuki tried to tell Shuichi, the bells ringing in his head making him extremely disorientated.

Shuichi couldn't hear anything over the horrendous racket that Caspian was making, and kept running for Yuki. As he was about to skid to a stop next to his beloved, he heard Tohma cackle and clap his hands. He thrust out his hand to reach Yuki and was wrenched backwards by the force of Tohma's spell. Before he knew what was happening, he was strapped to a large wheel up against one of the far walls, and Mika was advancing on him, looking positively delighted.

"Have fun, love, and stay back. I don't want to hurt you." Tohma told Mika, walking over to her and kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Time I took care of our rat problem."

"Like to see you try…" Yuki replied shakily, standing up slowly and glaring at Tohma. Off to the side, K was babbling at himself, trying to find a way to help Yuki. Every few seconds he pulled out a weapon and charged off in some direction, but he always stopped after a few leaps and bounds, unable to provide any legal genie assistance.

"Oh really? Then make sure you keep both eyes wide open." Tohma answered, rolling up his sleeves. "But first, let's make this a fair fight, shall we?"

Before Yuki could answer Tohma, the vizier turned on his heel and sent a spell flying at the rug, causing it to burst into blue flames on impact. Caspian swerved at the last second and fluttered down to the floor, rolling around to put out the fire that was creeping up his tail.

"Dammit, Tohma!" Caspian yelled, the remains of the ravaged grass skirt starting to burn. "Learn how to aim!"

"Drama bird." Tohma responded, snapping his fingers and dumping a pail of water on the smoking conure. "Now, where were we?"

"DAMMIT! WHO THE HELL DO I SHOOT?" K yelled suddenly, grabbing frantically at his ponytail and spinning in place. Tohma thought about giving him an order, but he'd never seen someone's eye twitch that way, and he wasn't sure he wanted to risk something violent happening to him if the genie snapped. Instead, he kept quiet and shuffled his feet, avoiding eye contact. Yuki lowered his head and shook it slowly, wondering why he'd wanted K back in the first place. When no one answered his question, K burst into tears and fell over, stroking his gun and cooing at it intermittently.

"For the love of…" Tohma sighed, reminding himself of the benefits of a magical superpower and then returning to the task at hand.

Tatsuha had been biding his time in the corner, waiting for the best moment to sneak over to Ryuichi's cage. The thief hadn't been in any immediate danger, and he hadn't felt too rushed now that the rabbit was safe in his arms. When Tohma seemed focused on Yuki, he started edging forward, unsure of how fast he could move without drawing unwanted attention. As he was about to come around the last column between him and Ryuichi, Tohma flicked his wrist and sent him flying backwards, and Kuma went tumbling out of his hands.

"Slow it down, you!" Tohma's voice rang out as he advanced on Tatsuha. "What to do with a traitor? Hmm…oh Caspian? Another present for you."

Tohma smiled and clicked his tongue, imprisoning Tatsuha in a large donut costume.

"Don't go too crazy now, bird." Tohma told Caspian, nodding at the conure and then returning to Yuki's area of the room. "Alright, street rat, let's do this."

"DONUT!" Caspian screeched, the fire completely forgotten in the face of a larger than life pastry.

"No! Not donut!" Tatsuha yelled at the bird, putting his hands up and backing away rapidly. The suit that Tohma had strapped him into was a large, chocolate covered donut with sprinkles, and Caspian looked like he'd died and gone to heaven. "NOT DONUT!"

Caspian ignored the protests of the talking treat and charged, slipping on his own drool. Tatsuha screamed bloody murder and ran in the opposite direction, not paying any attention to where he was going in order to watch the scurrying predatory parrot behind him. He smacked into the wall, hard, and fell to the floor unconscious.

Ryuichi, who had been braiding his hair for something to do, heard the noise and looked up, not too concerned when he saw Caspian doing a victory dance on top of a huge donut. He shrugged and returned to his work, wishing that he had some beads to make it fancy for when he saw Kuma and Tatsuha again.

"Time to feast…" Caspian whispered, ceasing his celebratory jig and bending down to take a chomp out of the conquered treat.

When his beak closed on fabric and stuffing, he nearly choked. He scrambled backwards and fell off of the donut, shocked. He'd been so excited about the prospect of that much sugar in one place, and it hadn't even occurred to him that the donut would be fake.

"Tohma!"

"Diabetes!" Tohma yelled back, pointing his finger at the bird.

"Point taken…" Caspian mumbled, flying over to the vizier and biting at his ear for some payback. If he hadn't been paid off with the bucket of deliciousness earlier, there might have been blood, but he had the feeling that this wasn't the time. The genie was still talking to his guns, and the street rat looked like he was regaining some color.

"So many interruptions…" Tohma said to Yuki, cracking his neck and smiling again.

"Just delaying your demise." Yuki responded curtly, straightening up and staring down the bird and owner. He started moving towards the duo, wondering if he could hit Tohma hard enough to incapacitate him long enough to reach K's lamp. After he'd taken a few steps, however, the tense silence around the dueling trio was shattered by an ear-splitting scream.

"WATCH IT LADY!" Shuichi screamed at Mika, trying to wriggle free. The wheel that Tohma had attached him to was rotating slowly against the wall, and Mika was biding her time by throwing daggers, trying to hit some vital body parts. So far, she'd been a terrible shot, but Shuichi was sure she would inevitably start cheating. "YUKI!"

"Dammit…" Yuki cursed under his breath, trying to sidestep Tohma, who immediately blocked him.

"Nuh uh!" Caspian sang out, stretching himself out and ruffling his wings at Yuki. "Nice try, lover boy."

"EIRI!" Shuichi yelled again.

Mika was stepping closer and closer, growling every time one of her knives missed. When he landed a blow that cut open Shuichi's cheek, she jumped up and cheered, blowing a kiss at Tohma to thank him for the opportunity to slice up her only living family member.

Yuki tried dodging Tohma again and couldn't get around the vizier. Frustrated, he tried running at Tohma, but the latter hit him with a few spells and knocked him back, making him even angrier. Shuichi was whimpering from the gash on his face, and the blood was streaming down his neck and soaking into his shirt. Yuki's heart rate increased as did his breathing and he started seeing spots. He was enraged that they were doing this to Shuichi after everything else they'd put the boy through. He glared at Tohma and charged again, earning himself only cruel laughter and a sore back.

When Shuichi screamed again, he felt like he might be sick. The younger man had become the most important person in his world even though he'd decided to leave him. It was one thing to live in denial and tell himself daily that Shuichi would be better off without him, and it was a different one to watch him being tortured. He felt so helpless; Shuichi was his whole world, and he couldn't save him.

He growled at Tohma and stood back up, ready to rip the vizier and conure apart piece by piece if he had to, magic or no.

* * *

Could this scene be any longer? I swear…I think I have a problem, I can't seem to contain myself.

Well, not too much to say right now, it's four in the morning and I just finished the last part of this chapter. Yes, that's right folks, the fight scene is finito'd. Gonna start the ending stuff soon as my homework OCD calms down. Hope you enjoyed, I'll be posting Chapter 31 Part C next Friday, and there probably won't be anymore double updates. The next chapters don't really require the splitting that this one did, so as of now, I'm back to updating every Friday as long as my material/muse holds out. I have two more chapters ready to go, and I have the rest planned out, so here's hopin'. Adios.

-exhausted Amaya, persnickety Po


	38. Chapter 31 Part C

"STOP IT!" Shuichi shrieked, the pain in his cheek blinding him. He could hear Mika laughing as she got closer, and in the distance, he could hear Yuki trying to fight off Tohma and Caspian. He could also hear some muffled footsteps, but he had no idea who they belonged to. He tried to open his eyes to see who else was nearing his personal hell, but before he could, Mika gasped and immediately stopped laughing.

"You leave him alone!" Hiro snarled at Mika, shoving her away from Shuichi. He'd only been home for a few days when he couldn't take it anymore. He missed Shuichi more than a blind man misses sight and he hated the thought of the one he cared about the most spending the remainder of his days with someone he couldn't stand. The pain from his pining for the pink-haired youth had driven him crazy, and he'd traveled as fast as humanly possible to return to him. He hadn't known what to expect upon his return, but the fiasco in front of him hadn't even made the top twenty possibilities list.

"Hiro?" Shuichi asked softly, afraid to hope. Even though he'd thought less about his friend, he still missed him terribly and it was a relief to hear his voice amidst the horror of what was happening.

"Give me a second here, man…" Hiro responded, his eyes never leaving Mika's face.

"Nakano, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Mika spat at Hiro, wishing that people would stop dropping in uninvited. They were ruining her evening.

"What I should have done a long time ago…" Hiro replied, cracking his knuckles and rushing Mika, pinning her against the wall. "You're a horrible woman! He deserves so much better than you for a mother!"

"You can't treat me like this! I'm the Sultana!"

"Not anymore!" Hiro responded, grabbing the discarded rope from the attempted Kuma burning and tying Mika up. He used one of the rope's ends to gag her, not wanting to hear anything else she ahd to say. He patted her lightly on the cheek and jogged over to Shuichi.

"HEY!" Tohma yelled, noticing that Shuichi's screams and Mika's cheers had quieted down. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!"

Yuki took the opportunity that Hiro's interference had given him and took a flying tackled to Tohma, smashing into the ground with the vizier and Caspian underneath him. Now that Shuichi was safe from the horrible woman, he could concentrate on the task at hand. He wasn't ever going to be best friends with Hiro, but he was immensely grateful that he'd shown up when he had.

"I think I'm all you can handle right now! Pay attention!" Yuki told Tohma, slamming his head into the marble floor. Caspian flew off towards Hiro, Mika, and Shuichi, not wanting to turn into a parrot pancake.

"Really now?" Tohma asked, raising an eyebrow and making a shoving motion with his hands, catapulting Yuki backwards. "I think I can multi-task, you're not that much a challenge."

"I would be if you stopped using your damn card tricks!" Yuki yelled at Tohma, getting up slower than before. His repeated encounters with the hard marble floor were taking a toll on him.

"Card tricks?" Tohma asked, an edge to his voice. K stopped rolling around with his gun and looked over, noticing a change in the atmosphere. "Card tricks! I'll show you card tricks!"

"Oh please do." Yuki replied sarcastically, knowing from past experience that Tohma was most deadly when he was serious, not when he was hopping mad. K stood up and inched out of the way, not wanting to steal any of the spotlight. He was still terribly torn, and was feeling more than a little bit frazzled. He wandered around, looking for busy work, and stumbled across Tatsuha's limp donut form. Intrigued by the costume, he stooped down to make sure the guard captain was still breathing. "I'm so scared, I just don't know what to do with myself…"

"Tohma! Show him who's boss!" Caspian called out to Tohma, slightly embarrassed by his handler's behavior. He'd been occupying himself with keeping Hiro away from Shuichi and spinning the wheel that the Prince was tied to, but Tohma's idiocy required his immediate attention.

Tohma shook out his sleeves and summoned his boa, shaking it confrontationally at Yuki.

"Feathers?" Yuki asked, leaning back and crossing his arms. He knew that Tohma deteriorated fast once provoked, but this had to be some kind of record.

"TOHMA!" Caspian yelled, dodging Hiro's swipes and wondering if it was too late to switch sides.

"Not just feathers!" Tohma told Yuki, stepping forward and striking a pose that he felt was fierce.

"A cross-dressing vizier with feathers. So much better." Yuki responded, shaking his head and smiling at Tohma. "Yes, you in a fancy robe really is the most terrifying thing I could imagine…"

"You want to be terrified do you?" Tohma asked, snapping back into his capable mode. Now that he had some firepower behind his lunacy, it was easier to come back to the light once he'd fallen off the horse. He smiled and waved at Yuki, disappearing into a conjured cloud.

"If you come out more sparkly, we're through!" Caspian yelled at Tohma, biting at Hiro's hair to keep him busy.

"Oh don't worry…" Tohma reassured Caspian, clapping his hands and cackling. The cloud dissipated and Tohma reappeared in a different form.

"Oh Allah…" Caspian said, forgetting himself in the moment and allowing Hiro to land a blow.

Tohma had re-emerged as an oversized panda, complete with some bamboo.

"What? I thought the monochromatic look really worked for me…" Tohma muttered, swiping a paw at Yuki and shooting the bird a defiant look.

"TRY AGAIN!" Caspian screeched, a few feathers shaking loose.

"Fine…" Tohma replied, conjuring the clouds again.

"AND NO SNAKES!" Caspian chimed in, not wanting to face one of his greatest fears.

"But!" Tohma hissed, already half way towards the newly forbidden look. "Fine!"

Tohma clapped a few times and then the clouds darkened, turning a grayish black. The room got a lot hotter, and the clouds started to rise, obscuring most of the room. When they'd cleared enough to allow sight, Yuki yelled and jumped back, regretting his teasing.

Tohma had magicked himself into a gigantic red and black dragon, and he looked entirely too pleased with his handiwork for it to be safe for anyone in the vicinity.

"Terrified yet, street rat?" Tohma asked, his voice booming around the room. "I would be, I think I'm pretty fearsome."

"Gold star!" Caspian called out, fluttering through the smoke to admire Tohma's successful transformation. Hiro had found a stick among some of the wreckage in the room, and he was in no mood for splinters.

"Finally…" Hiro muttered, freeing Shuichi from the wheel and ripping off some of his sleeve to stem the bleeding from his friend's face. "You alright?"

"I will be…" Shuichi replied, looking up at Tohma and shuddering. He scanned the room for Yuki and started trying to figure out how to get him out alive. Nothing else mattered if he died, and he was determined to save his love.

"Don't even think about it Shuichi, you can't help him now." Hiro told Shuichi, grabbing his shoulders and looking him in the eye. "Please, don't."

"Yeah, not a good idea." Caspian interjected, having noticed Hiro's lack of beating stick. He swooped down on Shuichi's head and started pulling out his hair, dodging the blows from the bloody prince.

"Go help Eiri, I'll take care of the bird!" Shuichi said to Hiro, swatting at the conure and grabbing his tail. "GO!"

Hiro nodded and ran towards the dragon, thinking that he could at least provide enough of a distraction for Shuichi to escape with his life.

"It's go time bird." Shuichi told Caspian, yanking him off of his head and dangling him in front of his face.

"Bring it." Caspian replied, swinging forward and biting Shuichi's nose.

Shuichi flailed around for several seconds, smacking the bird, and himself, in a desperate attempt to remove the sharp beak from his facial feature. Once he resorted to ripping out Caspian's beloved tail feathers, the bird released him and Shuichi grabbed him with two hands, dancing in place and trying to quickly locate a suitable prison for the feathered fiend. He caught sight of the forgotten donut bucket and ran towards it, dumping its contents and shoving the raving raptor underneath it, successfully securing him.

"Victory!" Shuichi sang out, doing his own rendition of a hat dance around the bucket.

In the center of the room, Tohma was making the most of his new dragon abilities, and was keeping Hiro and Yuki on their toes with bursts of fire and tail sweeps.

"Not your fight!" Yuki yelled to Hiro, ducking just in time to avoid Tohma's spiked tail.

"Stop being so proud!" Hiro yelled back, rolling out of the way of Tohma's peppery breath.

"He's right you know." Tohma noted, nodding solemnly. He waited for his adversaries to stop moving, and then with speed he wasn't sure he had, he threw out his front claw and snared Yuki, pinning him against a pillar. "You should just leave now, we have some unfinished business here…"

"Damn…" Yuki cursed, kicking his feet to try to free himself as Tohma had his arms locked down.

"Eiri…" K muttered, finished with his Tatsuha inspection. He'd sustained a decent head injury, but apart from being out cold, he seemed alright. Now that he had nothing to distract himself with, he'd been forced to return to his dilemma. When he saw that Yuki really had no way to help himself, his stomach tied itself in knots, and he knew that he'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't do something. "HEY MASTER! LOOK! A SHINY!"

K snapped his fingers and made some fireworks appear, wondering if dragons' affinity for sparkly things would transfer over to Tohma. If not, the vizier was still very easily distracted, and that might give the other Prince time to help Yuki.

"Where?" Tohma asked instantly, perking up and relaxing his grip on Yuki. K snapped a few more times and the fireworks got bigger, dancing around the throne room.

"Right here!" K replied loudly, snapping some more and making an entire rack of multi-colored feather boas appears. "See?"

"Oh, I do, I do!" Tohma squealed, almost dropping Yuki. When he felt the street rat slipping, he shook his head and tore himself away from K's petty distractions, wanting to end the fight that had started so long ago.

K grunted in frustration and scratched at his forehead, trying to formulate a plan. Hiro was positioned below Yuki incase the latter fell, and Shuichi was sitting on the bucket that contained Caspian, trying to hold the screeching parrot in. Deciding that if he was going to save Yuki, he was going to go all out, he took a deep breath and snapped both hands.

The lights that were still lit in the room flickered ominously and K started rising up towards the ceiling on a tornado of blue and purple smoke, bouncing lightning bolts off of the walls. Tohma stopped blowing smoke rings at Yuki and looked over at the genie, a little afraid.

"Tohma!" K shouted, his voice echoing around the room. "Drop him!"

"You can't make me! I'm your master!" Tohma responded haughtily, squeezing Yuki in his claw, causing the street rat to scream in pain.

Down on the ground, Hiro looked at K in awe. He'd seen Tohma transform himself several times that evening, but none of them compared to what K was doing. Hiro could feel the power emanating from the genie, and he was suddenly very glad that K was trying to help them out.

"I'm warning you!" K growled, thunder claps driving his point across.

"No! I'm warning you!" Tohma said, slamming Yuki into the pillar, making him scream again. "I'm the one with the real power here!"

"No you're not!" Hiro yelled up to Tohma. Witnessing K's awesome ability had given him an idea, and he was praying to all the deities he could think for it to work. "K is!"

"Uh uh!" Tohma replied, throwing his dragon snout up in the air indignantly.

"You're nothing compared to him! You wouldn't even have your magic if it weren't for him!" Hiro continued, guessing where Tohma had found his sudden competence. He'd seemed pretty harmless when he'd seen him last, and him wishing for his magic was the only plausible explanation. Hiro crossed his fingers and hoped that his guess was right.

"You…I…wait…" Tohma said, furrowing his brow. He looked from Hiro to K and then down at himself and it hit him; Hiro was right. He'd never had real control over his powers, and the only reason that he'd accomplished anything that day was because of K. He had pulled off a successful heist when he and Caspian had stolen the lamp, but it had been a close call, and before that, he'd been the laughing stock of the broom closet. He clamped his jaw together and huffed, sending smoke curls out of his nostrils. He was about to slip back into despair when he remembered that he had one wish left. "GENIE!"

"What now?" K asked, raising his eyebrow at Tohma. He'd caught on to Hiro's plan and didn't want to let Tohma know anything was afoot. He had to act normal for this to work, and the way he saw it, it was the only way that they could beat the vizier. Behind Shuichi and Caspian, Mika had managed to remove her gag and was hopping forward, ready to make her escape if thing went bad for Tohma. When she heard him call on the genie, she froze, praying that he wasn't about to fall for Hiro's obvious trap.

"I want to be a genie too!" Tohma said, the enthusiasm in his voice rattling the room supports and showering everyone with dust from the shaky ceiling.

"TOHMA NO!" Mika yelled, realizing the implications of being a genie. "YOU MORON!"

Tohma dropped Yuki and spun around, taking out several columns with his tail. When he saw Mika's face, he froze, and panicked. He'd never seen Mika look like that, and he couldn't really place the expression. He racked his brain while K prepared the wish, wondering why he was stupid for wishing for ultimate power. He pondered it for a few more seconds, and then the obvious answer smacked him upside the brain; Mika wanted to be the genie.

"Wait! I wish for the Sultana to be a genie!" Tohma told K, clapping his claws together and shrinking back down to normal size.

"TOHMA!" Mika shrieked, glaring at Tohma and then running for the door. If the genie couldn't catch her, he couldn't perform the magic.

"Sounds good." K said, snapping both hands again and capturing Mika in a vortex. As long as Tohma used the wish on something, he was free to do as he pleased with the vizier.

"NOO!" Mika screamed, holding onto the door frame with a death grip. "NOOO!"

K shook his head and laughed, snapping again to help out his magic. It succeeded in ripping Mika from the door, and as she spun by, Shuichi jumped up from the bucket in shock. Sensing that his captor had let his guard down, Caspian crawled out from under the bucket and ran for all he was worth towards Tohma.

"TOHMA! YOU'RE DEAD!" Mika screeched as K's spell pulled her into her own lamp, feet first.

Tohma screamed like a schoolgirl and ran for it, recognizing Mika's angry face. Caspian grabbed his coattail with his beak and the duo skidded out of the room before anyone could think to stop them. K's spell concluded, and Mika's lamp fell to the ground, her furious screams still echoing around the room.

* * *

Dun dun dun! Plot twist! At least in my world. Hmm, you guys probably saw that coming, I'm not nearly as clever as I like to think I am. *sigh* Blame the bird, everything that goes wrong is automatically his fault anyway.

Well, we're nearing the end…maybe two more chapters…maybe one…maybe fifteen, Po only knows. I will go ahead and tell you not to expect an entirely traditional ending, I've mixed things up quite a bit…thus why you should not give me a whiteboard and a myriad of pretty markers to play with after one am.

Hope you had a few giggles,

Amaya

* * *

Special thanks to:

Jo, for listening to me complain about this scene from start to finish, and for offering help and edits, even though everyone knows it's impossible to help a lost cause.

Lynn, for being the real-life talking donut, and Caspian's fast friend.

Jacob, for brainstorming Tohma forms with me at odd hours of the morning, afternoon, and evening.


	39. Chapter 32

_"Wait! I wish for the Sultana to be a genie!" Tohma told K, clapping his claws together and shrinking back down to normal size. _

_"TOHMA!" Mika shrieked, glaring at Tohma and then running for the door. If the genie couldn't catch her, he couldn't perform the magic. _

_"Sounds good." K said, snapping both hands again and capturing Mika in a vortex. As long as Tohma used the wish on something, he was free to do as he pleased with the vizier. _

_"NOO!" Mika screamed, holding onto the door frame with a death grip. "NOOO!"_

_K shook his head and laughed, snapping again to help out his magic. It succeeded in ripping Mika from the door, and as she spun by, Shuichi jumped up from the bucket in shock. Sensing that his captor had let his guard down, Caspian crawled out from under the bucket and ran for all he was worth towards Tohma. _

_"TOHMA! YOU'RE DEAD!" Mika screeched as K's spell pulled her into her own lamp, feet first. _

_Tohma screamed like a schoolgirl and ran for it, recognizing Mika's angry face. Caspian grabbed his coattail with his beak and the duo skidded out of the room before anyone could think to stop them. K's spell concluded, and Mika's lamp fell to the ground, her furious screams still echoing around the room. _

"Well, that takes care of that. Now, where's the other one?" K said, dusting his hands together and dissolving his tornado. He looked around the room for Tohma, intending on subduing the vizier as soon as possible now that he was free to do so. "Damn, he's loose…Shuichi, you still have the parrot? Shuichi?"

Shuichi had run over to where Yuki was sprawled on the floor as soon as he'd realized that the street rat was seriously hurt, his attention having been previously occupied with the rampaging dragon and the snippy conure.

"Eiri?" Shuichi asked softly, kneeling beside the unconscious street rat and giving up the fight against his tears. He kept wiping the blood off of his face, not wanting to get help, as that involved leaving Yuki's side. "Please wake up…"

K blasted a path through the rubble as he ran over to Yuki, worried that the street rat might have died for real this round. All thoughts of going after Tohma and Caspian were replaced with concern for Yuki, and the strangled sobs issuing from Shuichi were ripping him apart. When he reached the street rat, he jerked his head at Hiro, signaling for him to take care of Shuichi while he assessed the damage. He pulled Shuichi up and touched a few fingers to his face, healing the cut enough to suffice, wanting to get to Yuki.

He pulled a pillow out of thin air and put it under Yuki's head, checking his pulse as he did so. Even though it was faint, it was still there, and K breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He didn't know how he would've told Shuichi that he was gone for good this time, especially after seeing the concern in the boy's eyes.

"Alright you, wake up…" K muttered, whispering out an old spell and rousing the street rat. He rarely used his real powers, but if any time was the right time to do so, this was it.

"Hiro, let me go, he needs me!" Shuichi said, fighting against Hiro yet again. Hiro had wrapped him into a tight hug as soon as he'd reached him to prevent him from getting in K's way. "Please, I have to get over there!"

"No, you don't, Shuichi, breathe, let K help him." Hiro said softly, putting his hand on Shuichi's head and giving him a squeeze, wanting to comfort him more than anything. He pulled him away from Yuki and K, not wanting to disturb the process. He stroked Shuichi's cheek, running his fingers over the scarred cut. He'd left thinking that Shuichi hated the man, and he was shocked that they'd become this close in such a short amount of time with that kind of animosity starting things off. "Just stay with me."

"But…" Shuichi moaned, ceasing his struggle. Hiro wasn't going to let him go, and even if he had, he knew deep down that there was nothing he could do to help Yuki. He let out all of his air and collapsed into Hiro's chest, shaking with the force of his crying.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" K said to Yuki, finishing up his spell and waiting for the street rat's eyes to open. "Seriously man."

"You don't have to help me…" Yuki replied softly, opening one eye and staring up at K a few minutes later.

"Yeah, I do." K returned, giving Yuki a small smile and prepping his next spell. The street rat had a few cracked ribs and a broken arm from his encounter, and K was flabbergasted that he hadn't ruptured something when Tohma had a hold of him. There were a few bruised areas from limited internal bleeding, and he was coated in scratches and a few more serious cuts, but he'd once again managed to cheat death at the hands and talons of Tohma and Caspian. "You didn't have to come back."

"Yeah, I did." Yuki answered, smiling back as best he could. As soon as he'd realized that Shuichi was in real danger, he'd accepted his choice as the right one. Hearing his lover scream when Mika was torturing him had flipped a switch in his head, and all thoughts of removing himself from Shuichi's life had vanished. In that terrible moment, the only thing that had mattered was saving the one he loved the most, and if that cost him his life, then so be it. He'd never once valued someone more than himself, and it was a turning point for him. The sense of panic he'd felt about staying in the palace had changed into one about being away from Shuichi, and he was grateful that the carpet had made him come back, to his home, and to the people that he loved.

"I guess you're not that bad…" K whispered, pulling up Yuki's shirt to get closer to the more serious injuries. "Alright, this might sting, and it's going to take a minute or two, hold still."

"OK." Yuki responded laconically, closing his eyes and thinking of what he was going to say to Shuichi. After their discussion earlier, he wasn't sure how to approach him, but he could only imagine a happy ending. He was the one that Shuichi wanted, he'd made that perfectly clear, and now that he had his priorities straight, he was ready to be there for him for as long as he needed him.

"Shuichi?" Hiro asked after a stretch of silence, worried about his friend. "Are you alright?"

"Not if he's not…" Shuichi whispered, his voice hoarse from crying. He pushed away from Hiro and looked over at where K was still bending over Yuki, his eyes shut tight and lips moving rapidly over the complicated facets of his healing spells. "I don't know what I'll do if he dies…"

"But I thought you hated him?" Hiro asked, taking a breath to calm down. He'd been waiting to ask this question since he'd realized how attached Shuichi had become.

"What? No…I love him." Shuichi responded, returning his eyes to Hiro's face. "He's…someone I used to know, he's not really a Prince, he's…my Yuki."

"Your Yuki?" Hiro asked, starting to get confused. He put his hand against Shuichi's forehead, wondering if he had a fever boiling his brain.

"Mmm hmm…" Shuichi nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again. He glanced back over to Yuki, and when the street rat still didn't show any signs of life, he started bawling again, throwing himself at Hiro. "No…he can't die…"

"Why is he yours?" Hiro asked, keeping his question simple and hoping for a coherent response. It was bothering him that Shuichi had chosen someone else so entirely, so quickly, and he was curious as to how it had happened. He'd only been gone for about a month after all. He hugged Shuichi harder, wishing that he could make his pain go away.

Shuichi took a ragged breath and stared up at Hiro's face, his brow furrowed. He was too disconnected to care about the reasons behind Hiro's inquiry, and his eyes were too clouded to see what was really written across Hiro's face. He couldn't fathom that his friend had come back for anything other than that friendship, and he didn't think twice about answering his question.

He took another breath and closed his eyes, laying his cheek against Hiro's chest, making sure that he could watch his lover while he told Hiro the story of the last weeks, all about how he'd found the love of a lifetime, and lost it for what seemed like forever.

K kept mumbling out his gibberish spells, concentrating to ensure his success. He kept going for almost fifteen minutes, unwilling to miss any of the injuries. Once he'd finished, K ran his hands over the surface of Yuki's torso, making sure that he hadn't missed any wounds.

Shuichi had almost finished his explanation, having skimmed over some of the details from the beginning, and was taking his time with the days when he'd been the happiest, the weeks that Yuki had lived with him and hardly left his side. He sighed and a slight smile graced his face, giving him an angelically sated look.

"I think we're done here, you can open your eyes now." K told Yuki patting him on the shoulder and standing up. "Need a hand?"

"No, I got it." Yuki replied tersely, his entire body still stinging from K's magic. "I think you overdid it a bit…"

"Nope, you're just a pansy." K shot back, adding a manly grunt to the end to make sure that Yuki realized their tender bonding moment was over.

"Right…" Yuki responded half-heartedly, more concerned about finding Shuichi. Ryuichi was still locked in his cage, but he was amusing himself by swinging back and forth as fast as he could, and he seemed in no real hurry to get out. The guard captain was sprawled next to a wall, still wearing his donut costume, and the carpet was nowhere in sight. Yuki sighed and shook his head, glad that Hiro had shown up and tricked Tohma into his and Mika's doom. "Where's Shui-"

Yuki stopped mid-sentence and stared at Shuichi, taken aback. He was wrapped around Hiro, clearly very happy to see his friend. Hiro had his arms around Shuichi's waist and his face in the shorter of the two's hair, and Yuki could see the out of place determination in his eyes. Shuichi's eyes were brimming with tears, and he had a small smile on his face that Yuki didn't know what to do with.

As he looked on, still reeling from emotional, physical, and K-related trauma, Hiro kissed Shuichi's head and ran the back of his hand down his cheek, making Yuki's stomach do flips. He could remember the fight he'd had with Shuichi over Hiro, and the jealousy that had overwhelmed him then was returning tenfold. Shuichi pushed off of Hiro's chest and looked up at him, giving the usurping prince a chance to kiss him on the forehead.

It felt like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. If it had just been a hug or two, he would have been fine but it was tearing him apart to see the tenderness in Hiro's actions. Even someone as dense as Shuichi could see that there was much more than friendship in his embraces. It was clear as day to him now why Hiro had really come back; he wanted Shuichi. Comforting someone was one thing, but the way the combination of how Hiro was looking at Shuichi and how he was holding him painted another picture. He took a few strained breaths and turned way, biting down on his thumb to keep from saying anything.

He could have expected something like this from Hiro, but to see Shuichi accepting his advances was a shock. He didn't know why Shuichi was staying so close to Hiro when he, the one he said he loved, was in the same room, and Yuki wasn't sure he wanted to know. If Shuichi didn't want him, and decided to take his earlier advice about Hiro, he had no idea how he'd handle it.

Ever since his conversation with Shuichi before the conference, he'd been on an emotional roller coaster from hell, and right about now, he was at the high point. Now that he felt ready for commitment, and wanted to be with Shuichi for as long as the prince wanted him, he felt utterly betrayed.

He'd been ready to give up his life for Shuichi's, all in an instant, and he was still raw from that startling discovery. His entire life, he'd never felt that way, and now that he had chosen his course of action, he felt extremely vulnerable.

Part of him realized that he was overreacting, that K had probably told Shuichi to stay out of the way, but it was still hurting him. He'd come back, fought off a dragon, and decided to stay, all for Shuichi, and the first person he'd run to was Hiro.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, reassuring himself. Shuichi would fly away from Hiro as soon as he realized that he was awake, and everything would be fine. He'd tell him how he felt, that he wanted to stay, and Shuichi would be happy with that. He opened his eyes, his petty jealously shoved aside and his game face on.

"Shuichi?" Yuki said, just loud enough for Shuichi to hear him.

"Eiri? Eiri!" Shuichi said, his eyes wide. He shoved Hiro off and ran towards Yuki, slamming on the brakes before tackling his lover, afraid that he might break him if he didn't stop.

"It's alright, I'll be fine." Yuki told Shuichi, losing the fight to keep the smile off of his face. The wave of relief that was washing over him was incredible, and he felt instantly lighter.

"Thank Allah…" Shuichi whispered, launching himself at Yuki without anymore hesitation. He wound his hands through Yuki's hair and wrapped his legs around his love's waist, shaking with tears of happiness. "You came back."

"Obviously." Yuki replied, kissing Shuichi on the cheek and hugging him. He closed his eyes and put his face into Shuichi's shoulder, holding back his own tears.

Hiro stood off to the side, watching the sweet reunion with a weight in his stomach. Shuichi had finished his story right before the faker had called his name, and Hiro was filled with nothing but skeptical hate for Yuki. He'd weaseled his way into Shuichi's life, mooched off of his status for too long, and then broken his heart, only to show back up and ruin Hiro's chance to make the broken-hearted prince truly happy. Hiro was sure that Shuichi would have eventually accepted him, even after falling in love with the liar, if Yuki hadn't come back to finish what he'd started.

He sighed angrily and shuffled his feet, glancing over at the genie to distract himself from his love interest. The genie was wandering around the room, snapping his fingers to undo the damage and tacky decorating, and slowly but surely the throne room was being returned to its former glory. As his surroundings became more familiar to him, he groaned in frustration and started pacing, remembering all the times that he'd been in the room before, the times that he'd had a shot to be with Shuichi.

Now that he'd heard the whole story, he was sick to his stomach. This Yuki was a street rat, a liar, and a thief, and it drove him crazy that such a person had treated Shuichi like he had. He'd been lying from the start, and in Hiro's eyes, he'd done nothing but make a mess of everything. Sure, he'd come back to fight Tohma, but Tohma never would've had the lamp if he'd just kept it and stayed away from Shuichi. Because of him, Shuichi had been thrown into Tohma and Caspian's line of sight, and had had his heart broken.

Hiro swallowed his anger and paced faster, trying to calm down. If Shuichi wanted to marry the street rat and run off into the sunset, as Hiro was sure that the council members would never allow him to marry so below his station and keep his title, then that was his choice. He knew that he could take care of Shuichi better than the imposter ever could, especially as he wasn't even a prince, but he also knew that it wasn't his place to arbitrarily step in and arrange Shuichi's life for him.

The longer he paced, the harder it was for him to accept his passive stance. If Shuichi married Yuki, he'd end up on the streets with his new husband, and the myriad of dangers and troubles that festered in the lives of the poor were nagging at Hiro.

"What if he can't take care of him, what if he can't protect him…" Hiro thought to himself, scratching his head rapidly and glancing over at Yuki and Shuichi. Shuichi had returned his feet to the ground, but he was refusing to release Yuki, and the latter seemed pretty satisfied with the situation.

The streets were filled with mindless thugs, people that stole from whomever they could, rich or poor. Most people turned to illegal practices or begging, and Hiro was certain that this would be Shuichi's lot too, given that Yuki had already gone down that path. Once he factored in the disease, the poverty, the starvation, and the other woes that plagued the street people of big cities, he was genuinely worried about what would come of his friend. He kept telling himself that he had to let Shuichi make his own choices, that he had to stay out of it, but the more he thought about the horrors waiting for his companion, the clearer it became to him that he couldn't. If Yuki took Shuichi away to the streets and ended up being the cause for the prince's death, Hiro would never forgive the street rat, or himself.

Besides, it wasn't fair to Shuichi; Yuki had been his only option once the Sultana had forced him to leave and denied his suit. Shuichi deserved someone that was willing to really fight for him, not someone who had taken advantage of the situation and gotten lucky. To stay truthful to himself, he had to admit that Yuki had made Shuichi happy while they'd been together, but he'd still left him torn apart and broken, and had been ready to walk away and never look back. He, on the other hand, was ready to give his life for Shuichi, had raced back to be with him, and had fought to save him.

He would do anything for his friend, anything except give him up to a life that he didn't deserve to be dragged into. Part of him knew that he shouldn't get involved, and that he needed to respect Shuichi's wishes, but he couldn't stand the thought of Shuichi hurting anymore. There was no guarantee that the street rat wouldn't leave him again, wouldn't abandon him as soon as he realized that none of the wealth of the palace was coming with Shuichi, as soon as he got bored with his plaything. Thinking along those lines made Hiro feel like he couldn't breathe, like his heart was being squeezed of all feeling, and it was terrible to think that that could happen to Shuichi again.

Shuichi had gone through hell at the hands of the street rat, and he'd stayed by him the entire time. Hiro knew that he was the better man for Shuichi, not Yuki, but he also respected that Shuichi was the one to make that call. After thinking over the possibilities, he'd realized that as someone who loved Shuichi dearly, he couldn't let him go without saying a word. At the very least, he had to test this Yuki, to make sure that he really did care for Shuichi, that he was willing to take care of him the way he deserved to be taken care of, the way he deserved to be loved.

He gulped and repeated his convictions over and over again in his head, trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. Even if Shuichi ended up hating him, he knew that he had to do this. He absolutely could not live with himself if he let Shuichi slip away without knowing all of his options, and he couldn't walk away until he had made sure that Yuki loved him like he did, and that he could be the man that Shuichi thought he was.

"Listen…we need to talk." Yuki said quietly, releasing Shuichi and trying to take a few steps back. The prince refused to loosen his grip on Yuki's waist and burrowed in, fearing that the end was coming. "Shuichi, I'm not going to run away, you can let me go."

"No, I can't." Shuichi answered bluntly, unsure if he could lose Yuki twice. "And let's not talk, just…shh."

"You're shushing me?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow and silencing his second guessing. "And trust me, you want to hear this."

"I do?" Shuichi asked, the worry in his gut lessening. He trusted Yuki with his life, and if he said that it was OK, then it was. "What is it? What is it?"

"Hmm, not sure I should tell you now…" Yuki replied, startled that Shuichi had recovered so quickly. He'd sounded like he was on his last breath before Tohma and Caspian had brought the house down, and here he was, bubbly as ever. His paranoia set in instantly, and it was telling him that this was all because of Hiro. If he had stopped to think it over more, he might have realized that Shuichi was happier about him coming back then his friend, but all he could see was the two of them embracing. Without warning, his jealousy had returned yet again, and this time, he didn't know how to fight it. Shuichi was in his arms, refusing to let him go, and all he could think about was the likelihood of his lover leaving him for the brunet.

"Yuki!" Shuichi whined, hopping up and down, his arms still locked around Yuki. "TELL ME!"

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt, but I need a hand…" K called out across the room, kneeling beside Tatsuha. He'd left Ryuichi in the cage, afraid to unleash him on the world in his current state. He'd figured out how to spin the cage and swing it around simultaneously, and K had almost lost his head trying to get the unconscious guard out of harm's way. It appeared that Ryuichi was perfectly content to act a fool now that he knew that his rabbit companion was safe from lava and conures.

"Not now, K!" Yuki yelled back, shouting over Shuichi's head. "Busy."

"Not busy, you won't tell me anything!" Shuichi chirped playfully, relinquishing his hold on Yuki and bolting away before the street urchin could grab him.

"Shuichi, come on, I'm serious!"

"So am I!" Shuichi replied, striking a pose and heaping inflection on each syllable to goad Yuki on. He flashed a wide smile to make sure that Yuki knew he was kidding and then ran the rest of the way to K, wondering what was going on.

"I'll keep you busy." Hiro said, airing out a friendly tone and sidling up to Yuki. "My turn to talk."

"Hmph." Yuki replied simply, crossing his arms and glaring at Hiro. He kept telling himself to be nice, to be civil, but images of Hiro holding Shuichi kept popping up, and he found it impossible to ignore them.

"I'm not going to play with niceties, or beat around the bush, I'm just going to come out with it." Hiro warned Yuki, putting up his hands and nodding seriously for emphasis.

"Then cut the crap and spit it out." Yuki told Hiro, barely breathing. He didn't know what kind of tactic this was, but he could see that something was up, it was written all over Hiro's face. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, and he couldn't shake the feeling that whatever Hiro had to say concerned Shuichi.

"Fine. You need to leave." Hiro said, raising his chin to look Yuki in the eyes. He had no idea if the street rat would take him seriously or not, but this had been the best test that he could think of. If Yuki didn't fight for Shuichi, then he didn't deserve to keep him, and if he was looking for a way out, then this was his chance to run without consequences or fear for what would become of Shuichi.

"Excuse me?" Yuki asked, almost choking on his words.

"You heard me."

"I am not leaving, not again." Yuki replied tersely, staring down Hiro. "I don't care how much you want me to, I'm staying."

"Listen you, I know all about you. I know why you came here, I know you're not really a Prince, and I know that you don't really care about him." Hiro hissed at the speed of light, not wanting anyone to overhear or interrupt before he could finish what he needed to say to Yuki.

"Then enlighten me." Yuki returned, narrowing his eyes at Hiro and maintaining his defensive stance.

"You never really cared about him, you only wanted to screw him, that's why you came here in the first place."

"True." Yuki admitted, looking to shock Hiro. He wasn't going to lie about why he'd come to the palace in the first place, but if Hiro wanted to apply those feelings to his entire stay, he'd have a fight on his hands that he would never be able to handle.

"So you admit it?" Hiro asked incredulously, afraid to get his hopes up too high; there was no way that it could be this easy.

"Sure. But that's not how it is anymore. And don't even think that you didn't come here for the same reasons. You'd never met him, you didn't have any real feelings anymore, you were ready to just-"

"Stop, you don't know what you're talking about." Hiro snapped, feeling infringed upon. This was supposed to be his lecture.

"Oh, and you do?"

"Yeah, I do!" Hiro managed to spit out, keeping his temper simmering below the surface. "You don't belong here, street rat!"

"I belong with him." Yuki answered, wondering what demon spirit had possessed him to say such things to stranger, but glad that they had taken control of his mouth nonetheless.

"No, you don't, you belong in the streets."

"I repeat, I belong-"

"You don't deserve him!" Hiro said loudly, taking a step towards Yuki and earning himself a reproachful glare.

"I love him." Yuki responded, cursing his emotions. He hadn't even said these things to Shuichi, and here he was, baring his soul to the one trying to steal him away.

"If you loved him you'd leave, I'm the better man for him." Hiro continued, pressing Yuki to what he hoped was the breaking point. He was starting to lose hope that the street rat would up and leave, but at least this way he could rest knowing that Shuichi had someone that genuinely wanted to be with him.

"You can't say –"

"I can say what I want, especially when it's true. You admitted that you came here with, at the very least, questionable intentions, you admit that you lied about your past, you're not a Prince, you're just a common thief! And while you were here, mooching off of him, you put him in Tohma's crosshairs! That man, or his ghoulish bird, could've killed him, and it would have been your fault!" Hiro ranted, his eyes probing Yuki's face for a reaction that would tell him something.

"Tohma would've noticed him eventua-"

"No! He wouldn't have! If you would've just kept the lamp and stayed away from Shuichi, he never would have been in danger! He never would've had to worry about you being off'd by that maniac and his bird, he never would've fallen in love with you, and when you cowardly decided to run out on him, he never would have felt that pain!" Hiro frothed at Yuki, struggling to keep his voice down and sensing that he was starting to crack his rival. He cleared his throat and prepared his next attack, waiting to see what Yuki would do.

"I came back, didn't I?" Yuki spat back, his eyes leaving Hiro's and skimming the ground instead. He could feel the guilt bubbling up inside of him, and he didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't tell himself that he'd done nothing wrong, because he clearly had. Hiro was exactly right; if he'd never shown up, Shuichi would've been better off. He could have made a life with Hiro, he would have moved on, he could have been happy. Yuki gulped and took a few deep breaths, not wanting to lose his composure in front of Hiro.

"Yeah, after you abandoned Shuichi to Mika! She could have killed him, you know her temper! Would you have even cared, or had you washed your hands of him by then? Huh?" Hiro questioned menacingly, gesturing to Shuichi this time.

"That's not fair! Of course I cared, that's why I came back!" Yuki responded, but even as he said the words they felt hollow. His guilt was eating him from the inside out, and even though he'd admitted to himself how he felt, and even though he wanted to stay with Shuichi more than anything else, he realized that he wasn't the one that Shuichi should be with. All he'd done was hurt him, and even if he had come back to save him, and even if he loved him more than his own life, he had to accept that he wasn't right for Shuichi, and that he couldn't be the someone that he really deserved. He struggled against these thoughts, refusing to acknowledge them fully, praying that he could find a way to dispel them and to be with Shuichi.

"Don't lie! You came back because you had to fix the mess you'd made! None of it would have happened if you'd stayed away! You should never have come into his life, and you should leave it before you hurt him again!" Hiro said, keeping up the assault.

"I…"

"You couldn't even save him from Mika! You just stood there and let me do it! You couldn't outmaneuver a man that considers feathers to be a vital part of any wardrobe!" Hiro pressed, wondering if he'd pushed too hard or too little. Yuki looked like he was about to snap, but Hiro still couldn't tell in which way.

"I…" Yuki tried to say, but now that Hiro had mentioned the fight, all he could hear were Shuichi's screams echoing in his head, and they were making it impossible for him to think straight. He could see Mika throwing the daggers at him, he could remember his helplessness, and he could picture Hiro saving the one he cared for the most. He kept trying to take deep breaths, barely managing to stay on his feet. Before today, before his realization, none of this would have mattered, he would have left again without looking back, but now that he knew how he really felt, he hated the thought of giving Shuichi up again. But the longer he stood there, watching Hiro spell it out for him, the clearer it became that he had to walk away again, no matter how much he wanted, and needed, to stay. "You're right."

"I am?" Hiro asked, taken aback. He had been partially expecting Yuki to get defensive, to fight for Shuichi a little more violently, but he hadn't expected complete surrender. He cleared his throat and recovered, not sure how he felt about the result of his test. "Yeah, I am."

"Take care of him, alright?" Yuki said, taking a last look at Shuichi and knowing that he wouldn't survive another goodbye. The youth was dancing around K, attempting to be helpful while the genie roused Tatsuha and avoided getting beheaded by Ryuichi's wild cage antics. He ripped his eyes away and faced Hiro, steeling himself.

"I will." Hiro answered, nodding solemnly at Yuki. He knew that Yuki really did love Shuichi, he could see that now, but he also knew why the street rat was leaving. To some extent, the arguments that he'd used against Yuki were right; he wasn't the best thing for Shuichi, and it was admirable that he could accept that. Hiro watched Yuki turn on his heel and walk quietly out of the door, filled with respect for the man that loved Shuichi as much as he did. He didn't know if he could have made the same decision if their positions had been reversed, and he was forever grateful to Yuki for seeing that this was better for Shuichi, and for having the strength to walk away, even if it meant being miserable. "I promise."

* * *

Well, folks, here it goes, it's the end. I don't know how many chapters I have left in me, but I do know what I want to accomplish by the time I call it quits on this tale. Thanks for sticking with it this long, and I hope you're still getting a kick out of it.

-Amaya


	40. Chapter 33

"OI! YUKI! Get over here and control your accomplice!" K roared, kicking at Ryuichi's cage and swearing profusely. Ryuichi had hit him one too many times with the cage, and K was ready to start shooting at will if it happened again.

"Here, stop yelling, I'll help you." Hiro answered, jogging over and grabbing one side of Ryuichi's cage. He was secretly glad that Shuichi was easily distracted, as he wasn't quite ready to tell him that Yuki had left. The Prince was currently occupied with examining Tatsuha's donut costume, and Hiro was pretty sure that he was trying to figure out how to steal it without anyone noticing.

"Just hold him still, I've about got this one woken up. Would've been done ages ago if someone would stop BUMPING ME!" K said angrily, feeling snippy. With Hiro restraining Ryuichi, he made quick work of Tatsuha, and in no time, the guard captain was awake, eyes squeezed shut and groaning slightly. "Alright, you, time to get out of the cage."

"But I like the cage!" Ryuichi squalled, sitting down and pouting.

"But I like the cage." K mimicked, rolling his eyes and snapping the cage away. "You'll recover, play with the donut. I'm gonna go find the rug. Hiro, you look around for Tohma and Caspian."

"I'm pretty sure they're long gone."

"And I'm pretty sure I just gave you an order." K replied, in his element. Until everything was back to normal, he was declaring genie martial law, and if Hiro wanted to get uppity, he was ready to play that game.

"Fine, jeez, I'll go and look." Hiro replied, backing up and leaving the room before K could take his bad mood out on him anymore.

"Donut?" Ryuichi asked, cocking his head to the side. He'd missed most of the fight due to his infatuation with his container, and he'd barely noticed when a giant donut and slobbering parrot had come careening around the pillars and landed next to his cage.

"Yes, donut. And don't let him-err, it, fall asleep." K replied, pointing to Tatsuha and waiting for Ryuichi to see him before setting off in search of the rug. It was still just a pile of ashes, thanks to Tohma's magical fire, and K was missing its commentary and Ryuichi-distracting abilities.

"Oh!" Ryuichi cried out, seeing Tatsuha still trapped in the donut suit. He'd been wondering about the state of his bunny companion, but K had given him a mission, and he was going to see it through to the end.

"Shuichi! You're with me, come on." K said, walking back over and snagging Shuichi just as he reached for the zipper on the side of Tatsuha's costume. "No touchie, let's go, move out. Help me find the rug."

"But! I want to play with the donut too!" Shuichi whined, trying to grab a hold of Tatsuha as K dragged him away. "HEY!"

"Oh shut it…go on, make yourself useful, you can play with the donut later." K reassured Shuichi, giving him a shove towards the center of the room. Ordinarily, he would have let him be, but he wasn't sure if he could handle the combined insanity of Ryuichi and Shuichi at the moment, especially without Yuki or the rug to help him. He had no idea where the street rat had ferreted off to, but he was starting to get a little concerned. "Just…listen, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Shuichi replied, understanding that K was stressed. He could hear it in his voice, and he knew that he should probably behave himself for now. There was no need to stress out the genie that had done so much to save them in the end.

"Wait, come here, I'll fix that up for you." K said, turning around yet again and hooking his finger in Shuichi's shirt collar. "Don't want it to get infected or anything."

"Oh, thanks…" Shuichi returned, having forgotten that he was injured as soon as he'd seen that Yuki had needed him.

"Tatsuha?" Ryuichi asked quietly, leaning over the donut and peering down at his friend. "You in there?"

"Yeah…" Tatsuha murmured, still too sleepy to open his eyes. "Just gonna take a nap…"

"No!" Ryuichi squalled dramatically, jumping onto Tatsuha and grabbing the front of the costume. "You can't! K said not to!"

"K said what?" Tatsuha asked groggily, not coherent enough to realize that he was being straddled by Ryuichi.

"You can't sleep!" Ryuichi yelled, shaking Tatsuha violently and starting to cry again. "TATSUHA!"

"I'm not…sleeping." Tatsuha responded slowly, struggling to get all of the words out. A weight was pressing down on his lungs, and he had yet to identify the cause. He opened one eye and looked around, nearly having a heart attack when he realized what was assaulting his chest. One of his steamier dreams had finally come true; Ryuichi was sitting on him. "Ryuichi!"

"Yeah?" Ryuichi asked, scratching his head and looking down at Tatsuha with concern. He didn't know what would happen if Tatsuha fell asleep, but K has sounded serious and he was afraid for his friend. If Tatsuha broke his brain, his life would be so dull. Yuki hated playing midnight tea party, and Kuma would be really sad if his new favorite playmate got busted.

"I found it!" Shuichi's voice echoed around the room. He was hopping around a pile of ashes and energetically pointing to his find. "K!"

"Great!" K said enthusiastically, snapping to disappear and re-appear next to Shuichi and the dust. "Wait…Shuichi, this is a charred mop…"

"OK!" Shuichi responded, bounding off to look some more. He wasn't really sure what the carpet's remains would look like, but he was eager to help nonetheless.

"You're sitting on me." Tatsuha whispered, not wanting to scare the moment away. He usually had to trick the thief into doing something like this, and he was reveling in his glory.

"Mmm hmm, K said not to let you sleep, so I gotta keep you awake!" Ryuichi answered quickly, shaking Tatsuha a few more times for added emphasis.

"Oomph…" Tatsuha coughed out, his head banging into the floor every time Ryuichi shook him. He scrunched up his face and endured the pain, reminding himself that Ryuichi was on top of him.

"I found it!" Shuichi yelled again, skipping in a circle around what he thought was the rug.

"It'd better not be another mop…" K muttered, again wondering how, and why, Yuki put up with Shuichi.

"It's not! I think so anyway…" Shuichi replied, ceasing his skipping and rocking back and forth, waiting for K to examine the fruit of his searching.

"Shuichi." K said when he'd reached the Prince.

"Yeah? Yeah? Is it the Rug Man?"

"It's Caspian's wig."

"Oh…" Shuichi responded, disappointed but far from deterred. "I'll try harder, don't worry!"

"Wait…no, oh jeez…" K started to say, giving it up when Shuichi took off at the speed of light and disappeared behind a pillar. "I'd better find it, this could take forever…"

He continued searching for fifteen minutes, feeling antsier by the second. If he was left to corral the insanity in the room without Yuki or the rug's help for much longer, someone might die. Ryuichi had been bouncing up and down on Tatsuha, squealing each time the fluffy suit sent him flying. He knew it wasn't the best thing for Tatsuha to be subjected to, given his state, but he looked happier than K thought he should, and he wasn't eager to get involved in whatever was happening in that area of the room. He'd made the mistake of getting involved in Yuki's personal life, and that had been bad enough. He couldn't imagine what Ryuichi's might be like, and based on Tatsuha's strange facial expressions, he was getting the impression that his might be even worse.

He was about to search the throne room for a second time when Shuichi interrupted him for the tenth time.

"I FOUND IT!" Shuichi screamed, his voice hoarse from his heralding. "Really, really, really!"

"Shuichi, so help me…if it isn't the rug, I might have to hurt you." K replied, pinching his nose and zapping over to where the Prince was standing, barely containing his desire to bounce.

"OK!" Shuichi answered brightly, sure of himself this time. He'd found a bluish pile of ashes off to the side of the room, hidden under a few scraps of curtains that K hadn't gotten around to cleaning up yet. Every few seconds, the pile would twitch, and he was convinced that it was the rug; if not, they might have to do some Caspian removal.

"Alright, let's see it." K said, sighing heavily. So far Shuichi had shown him some burned up cushions, a rat that he'd trapped in one of his shoes, and the singed remains of Tohma's boa.

"Ta da!" Shuichi sang, pulling off the curtain and gesturing sporadically to the pulsing clump of ashes.

"Well, well, well, look at you, I think you actually found it…" K said in awe, bending down to get a closer look.

"YES!" Shuichi exclaimed, jumping up in the air and jiving around the area.

K shook his head and snapped his fingers, restoring the rug to its original glory. Shuichi stopped dancing immediately and started 'oohing' and 'ahhing', thrilled with K's magic. K rolled his eyes and turned away from Shuichi, focusing on the rug. He patted it on the back and considered giving it a hug. Now that it was back, he could worry about finding Yuki and the two maniacs, it could worry about the twins.

"Welcome back , Rug-" K saluted the rug, stopping short when it flew off towards Ryuichi without a backwards glance. "HEY!"

"Guess it has other friends?" Shuichi offered, shrugging and wandering off, starting to wonder where Hiro and Yuki had disappeared off to. He really wanted to know what Yuki had been about to say, and he wanted to make sure that Hiro knew how much he appreciated him coming back like he had. It was new for him to have a friend like Hiro, and he was scared that he might lose him like he thought he'd lost Yuki.

The rug skidded to a halt in front of Ryuichi and spun around a few times, trying to get his attention. When Ryuichi stayed focused on Tatsuha, it grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled a few times, trying to unseat its friend.

"I can't let him sleep, K said so!" Ryuichi explained, shaking Tatsuha again. The latter groaned, but smiled, breathing through the pain. He'd been straddled by Ryuichi; he could die happy.

The rug kept tugging, intent on removing Ryuichi from Tatsuha. The only reason that it had returned was to save Ryuichi, and here he was, paying more attention to a gigantic pastry. When the street rat continued his mounted vigil on Tatsuha, the rug sighed to itself and swooped forward, picking up Ryuichi in the process. It soared around the throne room, doing an internal victory dance. Tatsuha couldn't reach them up here, and Ryuichi loved flying more than anything else.

"WHEEEE!" Ryuichi squealed, throwing his arms up and making motor noises whenever the rug accelerated.

"Hey, K, have you seen Yuki?" Shuichi asked, ignoring the screams echoing around the room in his quest for his returned lover. "He's been missing for a while…"

"Nah, haven't seen him. He's probably napping in a corner somewhere, the lazy ass." K responded stiffly, still feeling put out by the rug's preference for Ryuichi.

"Alright…" Shuichi answered. He'd walked around the room and hadn't seen any sign of his lover. He didn't think he'd be sleeping somewhere, and he was sure that he hadn't left again, but he had no idea where to look beyond the room. He cleared his throat and started calling his name, hoping that the older man would hear him soon; he was starting to get impatient.

"Lost cause…" K muttered, wandering around the room and snapping his fingers intermittently to finish the clean-up. The throne room was still coated in a thin layer of dust, and it was started to bother him. If Eiri was off somewhere and didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. He sighed and flipped his bangs back, squinting around the room for more debris to destroy. He glanced towards the entrance and noticed that Hiro had returned from his task. "Hey, you find them?"

"Negative." Hiro responded. "They're long gone, no sign of them. No feathers, no cursing, no boas, no gloves, nothing."

"No cereal crumbs?"

"Nada."

"Well, have you seen the other trouble maker then?" K asked offhandedly, blasting a broken vase out a window.

"Other trouble maker?" Hiro asked, starting to get nervous. He could hear Shuichi calling for his mate, and it was tearing him up. On the other side of the room Tatsuha was doing a wonderful impression of a bug stuck on its back, and Ryuichi and the rug were doing cartwheels around the ceiling.

"Yeah, Eiri. Err, Yuki, sorry. You seen him? He's missing too."

"I…" Hiro started, unsure of what to say. He knew that he had to tell the truth eventually, but he had no idea when that would, or should, be. Before he could make a decision, Shuichi ran over and tackled him, giving him a quick hug before repeating K's line of questioning.

"Hiro?" Shuichi asked, sensing that something was wrong. Hiro's face was contorted strangely, and he felt off. He shuddered and touched Hiro's arm, pausing only when Tatsuha's yelling made it impossible to hear himself thinking, let alone what anyone might be saying.

"Hey! No, wait, come back!" Tatsuha spat out, struggling to sit up in the ridiculous costume. He rocked back and forth, trying desperately to get righted. He finally managed to pull himself up and fought back his desperate tears. The rug had stolen away his sweetest fantasy, and it was getting farther and farther away from him with every second. He hugged himself and rubbed his arms, stopping his panicked motions when he encountered a mysterious lump in his constricting suit. He reached into the costume and fished out the invader: Kumagoro. The rabbit was still on his person, and was his saving grace. If anything could recall Ryuichi from the clutches of the rug, it was his rabbit. "RYUICHI!"

"Hmm?" Ryuichi murmured, ceasing his screaming and looking over his shoulder and the seated guard. As soon as he saw his favorite pink friend, he started flailing around on the rug and leaped off suddenly, intent on reclaiming his floppy eared buddy. "KUMAGORO!"

Tatsuha grabbed a column and pulled himself up, holding the bunny out in front of him like a beacon for Ryuichi. As soon as Ryuichi hit the floor, he catapulted towards the guard captain and bowled him over, grabbing the bunny and rolling off into the distance.

"Hey!" Tatsuha squalled, stuck on his back again. At the entrance, K sighed angrily and snapped, removing the costume. Tatsuha's complaining had grated away his last nerve, and he was eager to hear what Hiro was chewing on.

"KUMA!" Ryuichi sang, bouncing up and down and hugging the bunny. "You saved him!"

"I saved him?" Tatsuha asked quietly, confused. Ryuichi had apparently forgotten about his daring rescue mission until now, and Tatsuha was starting to wonder if he'd been hit in the head one too many times for his own good that day. Up above, the rug shot him a dirty look and landed, looking sulky.

"You saved him!" Ryuichi chirped again, spinning around. When he was facing Tatsuha again, he stopped and looked at the guard captain with awe. He let Kuma fall to his side and started walking towards Tatsuha, his mind full of all of their times together. Even though they'd been enemies in his former life, the guard had been his friend, and had just risked everything to save his Kuma. "Tatsuha…"

"Yes?" Tatsuha replied, perking up. He stood still, watching Ryuichi walk towards him. In the distance, K rolled his eyes and tried to get Hiro's attention; the Prince had been staring fixedly at the Ryuichi-related proceedings and was clearly using any excuse to avoid spilling the beans on Yuki.

"You saved him, you saved me. Thank you." Ryuichi said softly when he reached Tatsuha. He reached up and grabbed his friend's face, pulling it down to his level. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You don't?" Tatsuha asked incredulously, his entire body numb.

"Nope." Ryuichi answered simply, standing up on his tiptoes and kissing Tatsuha on the lips.

"You've got to be kidding me…" K sighed, shaking his head exasperatedly. "What next? You gonna make out with the rug?"

"Who? Me? Or Hiro?" Shuichi asked, rapidly looking from person to person. After a few seconds he started swaying in place and almost toppled over, staying on his feet due only to Hiro's intervention. "Dizzy…"

"I'm surrounded by morons." K said under his breath, clearing his throat and tapping Hiro on the shoulder. "Alright, you, spit it out please. What do you know about Yuki?"

"He…" Hiro attempted, desiring to rib off the band-aid in one fell swoop. Looking at Shuichi's face stopped him dead though, and he could feel the words catching in this throat. He coughed a few times and took a steadying breath, knowing that he was about to shatter Shuichi's world. "He left."

"He what?" Shuichi sputtered, unsure of what he'd heard. "He left the room?"

"No…he's gone, Shuichi. He…didn't want to say goodbye, he told me you'd…understand." Hiro barely managed, watching Shuichi start to shake.

"He's gone?" K asked sharply, waiting for Hiro's half-hearted nod before jogging out of the room. He'd seen the way Yuki had looked at Shuichi, and something was definitely wrong if he'd left without any sign of a struggle. He skidded to a halt outside and whipped out a rocket launcher, shoving Mika's lamp inside with a grunt. Before he could leave the palace, he had to wrap things up, and he was going to do it properly. He propped it up on his shoulder and pulled the trigger, hurling Mika's prison into the expanse of the desert. His mission accomplished, he dashed down the long stairs leading to the palace and disappeared into the city.

"He left?" Shuichi repeated, losing all feeling in his limbs. "He left…"

"Shuichi, I'm sorry, he…he said you would understand…" Hiro tried, waiting for the floodgates to break open.

"Understand? Understand!" Shuichi spat, his voice rising and getting higher. "How the hell could I understand this? He said he wouldn't leave, he said he'd stay, he can't do this, he can't, no, no, NO!"

Shuichi fell to his knees and crumpled onto his face, his agonizing screams echoing around the room. Yuki was gone, for real this time, and there was no way for him to stop him. He pushed Hiro away when the older man tried to comfort him, crying out with the effort of it. He'd prepared himself for this earlier, but to hear Yuki promising that he wasn't leaving, and then to know that he was really gone was a torture worse than death. He'd have given anything to see him one last time and to get a real goodbye, not some cheap lie, but he didn't have that option; Yuki was really gone.

"He can't do this, HE CAN'T DO THIS!" Shuichi yelled, slamming his palms against the marble floor. "NO!"

Ryuichi broke away from Tatsuha and looked over, concerned. He kissed Tatsuha on the cheek and made his way over to Shuichi, wanting to find the reason behind the dying water buffalo impression.

"Shuichi? What's going on?" Ryuichi whispered, shoving Hiro out of the way and sitting beside Shuichi.

"He left me…he lied…" Shuichi moaned, sitting up and hugging himself, rocking back and forth. "He lied…"

"It'll be OK…" Ryuichi said quietly pulling Shuichi into his lap and stroking his hair. He could feel the prince writhing under his grasp, and it hurt him to realize that he had to leave him there, but he was sure that Yuki was probably doing even worse somewhere out in the city. He'd caught sight of his captain's face before he'd been let out of the cage, and he'd been sure that Yuki would never, ever want to leave again. He'd never seen his old friend look like that about anyone or anything, and he recognized it as the same way he himself looked at Kumagoro. "You'll see him again…"

"Unlikely." Hiro muttered, upset that Ryuichi had shoved him aside so easily.

"No, no I won't, he's gone, I can't, I don't know what to do, I can't breathe…" Shuichi gasped, unable to maintain a hold on reality. He couldn't grasp what had happened, and it was ripping him in two.

"Here, take him." Ryuichi whispered to Hiro, sliding Ryuichi out of his lap and over to the other man. "I have to go."

"Alright." Hiro said, nodding. He knew that Ryuichi was going after Yuki too, and it was all the better for him. The less that Shuichi saw of anyone connected to Yuki the easier it would be for him to recover. "Thank you."

"I'm not doing this for you, trust me. There's no way in hell he left of his own free will, and I'm on to you." Ryuichi hissed, resisting the urge to throttle Hiro. As soon as he'd realized that something serious was amiss, all of his playfulness had vanished. His rare moments of insight always proved useful, and this was no exception. He had a strong feeling about what had gone down, and he was extremely disappointed in Hiro's shortsighted handling of the situation. He rubbed Shuichi's hair and dashed over to Tatsuha, not wanting to hurt him like Shuichi had been.

"Ryuichi? What's going on?" Tatsuha questioned, sensing that something was going to steal his love away from him.

"Eiri needs me, I have to leave, I'm sorry." Ryuichi explained quickly, kissing Tatsuha again. "Bye."

"Wait, no…" Tatsuha said, watching Ryuichi disappear out of the room, followed by the rug. As soon as he'd managed to win the thief over, he was gone. "DAMMIT!"

"Hiro…"Shuichi said, his voice barely a whisper. "I can't…"

"Shh, shh, it'll be alright Shuichi…I'm here…" Hiro said, pulling Shuichi up and into his arms. He held him tight, afraid to do more with Shuichi in his current condition. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"So did he…" Shuichi cried, throwing his arms around Hiro's neck and letting the tears overcome him again. "So did he…"

The way I see it, there's one chapter to go. It'll probably be a long one, and if it gets too out of hand, I'll split it into two parts or something like that…wow, I can't believe it's this close to the end...as the end draws nearer, thanks for all of the reviews and support, it really means the world to me.

Over and out,

Amaya


	41. Chapter 34 Part A

"Eiri? Hey, Yuki?" K called up the worn stairs, trying to decipher the gloom. He'd asked a few townspeople about Kumagoro, the standout of the thieving trio, to try and find out where Yuki lived. He wasn't sure that the street rat would retreat back to his hovel, but it was worth a shot. "Hello?"

"Go away." A muffled voice replied, and K guessed that its owner had just shed some unwelcome tears.

"Can't." K responded, running the rest of the way up and craning his neck around the weathered door frame to make sure that he'd found the proper target.

Yuki was curled up in one of the corners, staring out at the palace. His hair was matted where he'd been grabbing at it, and his face was smudged with dirt and tears. He slowly turned his head to face the intruder, and the brokenness sent chills down K's spine.

"Please, K, not now, just get out of here." Yuki whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Please…"

"No, there's no way that I'm leaving you here like this." K answered, walking over to Yuki and trying to pick him up. "Come on, don't do this to yourself."

"K."

"I'm not leaving, I don't care what you have to say about it. I'm not going to leave you alone with yourself." K explained, worried about the large window and the long drop below it. Yuki didn't look or sound stable, and K refused to have his blood on his hands.

"I don't need you here, really, I'm fine." Yuki said, attempting an off-hand tone. "I'll be fine, K."

K 'hmphed' and took a step back. He could detect the stiffness in Yuki's voice, and he understood that the man was trying to save face, but K knew that he must be hurting something awful. He weighed his options, and couldn't decide on the right course of action. Yuki turned away from him and walked over to the window, leaning on his crumbling wall for support. K watched him in silence, trying to ignore the shaking of his shoulders, or the repressed tears. Yuki was dying on the inside, barely containing it on the outside, and K didn't know how to handle it. He'd never imagined that this would happen, and he knew that it was his fault for ever letting Ryuichi hijack the wish.

He sighed and looked at his feet, waiting for his brain to make up its mind. He could either keep pushing, and try to talk Yuki through his decision and the reasons behind it, or he could grant his friend the dignity he'd requested, and deserved, and let it go without any prying. He sighed again and pushed aside his curiosity to do right by his friend. He waited for Yuki to be still and then cleared his throat, an olive branch for invading the man's privacy prepared.

"Yuki? I was thinking, and…use your third wish to get what you really wanted. I…screwed you over the first time, I'm sorry." K said, watching Yuki intently for a response.

Yuki didn't answer and turned his eyes on K, his entire body numb from what had happened. It had touched him that K followed him, and stayed with him, even though he'd told him to leave. He'd played with wishes once, and the burn he'd gotten from that flame would forever scar him. He didn't even have to consider K's offer this time.

"No."

"OK, here we –wait, what?" K said, surprised. He'd expected Yuki to jump on the chance to have his money at long last with no strings attached, but here he was, turning him down without hesitation.

"I don't want the money, and I was serious when I told you to leave." Yuki replied, facing K and putting added emphasis on his last words. "Go on, get out of here."

"I'm not following…did you hit your head again?" K asked, raising his eyebrows and looking Yuki over again.

"No, I didn't. Jeez you're thick, you're free, you moron, now get lost. I wish for your freedom." Yuki told K, rolling his eyes and turning back to his view of the palace.

"I'm…free?" K sputtered incredulously. "Free?"

"Yes, free. Free to go and terrorize other unsuspecting townspeople, free to run around naked, free to set your lamp on fire, whatever the hell you want to do, I don't care, as long as it gets you far away from me." Yuki answered quickly, failing to contain a smile at the end of his rant. As much as K drove him crazy, and as much chaos the man had caused, he'd given him Shuichi, and for that, he was forever grateful.

"Eiri, listen…" K started, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh come on…"

"You're…my favorite master, and I'll miss you. I…if you ever need anything, just ask, and I'll find you." K said, choking on his tears. He pulled Yuki into a tight hug, remaining unfazed by the one-sidedness of it. "And…you're a good man, the best, and no one should ever tell you otherwise. You beat him any day, every day, and don't ever let anyone tell you differently."

"K…" Yuki started to say, overwhelmed by the sentiment in K's words. Before he could say anything else, K vanished, leaving only a cloud of bluish dust where he'd been. He had no idea how the genie had figured out what had happened with Hiro in the throne room, and he wasn't about to take his words as a reason to return and fight, but they'd meant something to him nonetheless. "Thanks. For everything."

He sighed heavily and rubbed his face in his sleeve, wanting to remove any evidence of his heartbreak. He was trying to adjust to his old life as quickly as he could, as lingering in the past would only hurt more later. He was sure that Ryuichi would probably check in at some point, but his partner seemed pretty happy staying in the palace with Tatsuha and Shuichi. He kept watching the palace, unable to tear himself away from it. He was secretly hoping that Shuichi would pop out, would appear on some distant balcony, but his logical side was pelting him with the truth that he wouldn't. Shuichi was probably just as, or, if possible, more miserable than him.

"Dammit…" Yuki whispered, biting down on his lip to keep from crying out loud. He hated Tohma and Caspian for what they had done to him, and to those that he cared about. He hated Hiro, for coming back, and for showing him the light. But most of all, he hated himself for giving in so easily, even though he knew that it was what was best for Shuichi. "Shuichi…"

"'allo, captain!" Ryuichi chirped, bouncing into the room and saluting Yuki a little too enthusiastically, smacking himself in the face with Kumagoro and his own hand. "Oww…"

"Ryuichi?" Yuki asked, clearing his throat roughly to hide any unwanted tones. "You're not in the palace?"

"You didn't give me any orders, I didn't know what to do, so I came back to the base. So what's the plan, kemosabe?" Ryuichi explained, leaving out the part about how he'd eavesdropped on the exchange between genie and master and waited for the opportune moment to enter.

"The plan?"

"Yeah! What now?" Ryuichi pressed, having decided outside that Yuki needed a distraction more than anything. Whenever he was in a bad mood, it only got worse when he was left on his own to brood about it, and Ryuichi wasn't about to let that happen on his watch. Even if Yuki got upset with him for a few days, or even a week or two, it would be worth it to help his friend.

"Just chill…" Yuki muttered, shaking his head and pondering the old question of why he'd gotten stuck with the world's top ranking idiot savant.

"Chill? Yuki, we live in a desert…" Ryuichi said, trying his best to look perplexed. Taking care of Yuki required extreme focus, and he couldn't afford to let his happy-go-lucky side take over until the younger man was semi-stable.

"Ryuichi, not now, just…"

"LET'S PLAY A GAME!" Ryuichi screamed, jumping up and down in place.

"No…"

"Mandatory male bonding time, K said you needed it." Ryuichi said out of the side of his mouth, his eyes narrowed and slanted.

"He said what?" Yuki responded, his hackles raised. The genie had done enough damage without giving Ryuichi post-departure ideas.

"You need man-time, K said it's good for your…your…ego." Ryuichi continued, trying desperately to ignore the 'I'm going to kill you and eat your brains' look that Yuki was giving him.

"K can go and-"

"Yuki! Be nice! Let's play pin the bowtie on Kuma!" Ryuichi squealed, taking off Kuma's bowtie and throwing it at his commander.

"Ryuichi, come on…" Yuki sighed exasperatedly. He'd just been ready to hunt K down and smack him, but seeing Ryuichi's blind enthusiasm for a game was painfully reminding him of what he'd just left behind. He sighed again and resigned himself to an evening of Ryuichi insanity; it was better than wasting away in the corner anyway. "Fine, I'll go first…"

"Yay!" Ryuichi answered, skipping around the room. He breathed a sigh of relief internally, glad that he didn't have to push harder. He watched Yuki stumble forward with his eyes closed, the bowtie in one hand and almost cried himself. He'd never seen Yuki look like that, and he knew that he must be hurting terribly. He took a calming breath and put his smile back in place, swearing on all that he loved that he'd do whatever it took to make Yuki feel better, even if it was just for a few minutes.

* * *

Hiro got up with the sun the next morning, having spent the entire night waiting on it to rise. He'd been unable to sleep, and had been awaiting the time that he could go and confront Shuichi without having to take a torch with him. The other prince hadn't left the comfort of Cinda since he'd been composed enough to run into her trunk. He'd thought about pursuing him to the courtyard, but he knew from past experiences that it was best to let him alone when things were bad enough to drive him to the elephant.

Instead, he'd paced around the rooms the council of Agrabah had given him and thought about what he was going to say to Shuichi when he finally had the chance to go and see him. He'd considered telling him about the conversation that had transpired with Yuki, but he didn't think that he could bring himself to admit that. Shuichi had looked dead on the inside, and he wasn't sure if he wanted his love to know Yuki's departure was his fault. He stood by his decision to confront the street rat, and he was glad that it had worked out the way that it did, but that didn't change his guilt, and the accompanying squishy feeling in his stomach when he pictured Shuichi's crying face.

He wanted to tell Shuichi how he really felt, and why he'd come back to fight for him. He wanted to convince him that his feelings were genuine, and that they were at the very least equal to Yuki's. He understood that Shuichi loved his dashing street rat, but he also understood that he was better for Shuichi than Yuki could ever hope to be, and he had to make Shuichi see that.

He'd been wrestling with himself over the last detail all night, and he still wasn't sure if he could pull the big trigger. Eventually, he wanted to marry Shuichi, that was a given. He'd been ready to marry him after their first real conversation, and he'd been in love with him even before that. As soon as he'd seen him, as soon as he saw how he was with Cinda, he'd known. Before Shuichi, he'd never believed in love at first sight, but now he was a loyal convert. He was ready to live his live with, and for, Shuichi, and the only thing stopping him was the target of his affections.

He wanted to propose, wanted to feel the joy of an engagement, and of a marriage, but he was almost entirely sure that Shuichi wasn't ready. A good chunk of him was partially convinced that he'd never be ready, but he had to get married eventually, and if Shuichi would let him, he wanted to be the one. He wanted to be there for him when he needed him the most; now. Even though Yuki was never coming back, and they'd likely never see each other again, Shuichi would heal, somehow, and if Hiro could be there to help him, to hold him, through it all, he would be. In his mind, the sooner Shuichi was married, the better, as the council wouldn't let him rest long, and if it was to someone that he knew cared about him, and could eventually care for, it was a winning situation for him. The council had assumed control once they were sure that Tohma's crazy rampage was at an end, and had been shocked to learn that the Sultana had sided with him. Their first order of business had been to apologize profusely to him, and then to send Tatsuha and a small contingent after Tohma and Caspian. Even though they were focused on restoring the peace for the moment, Hiro was sure that Shuichi's marital status would soon be in their sights again.

The last thing he wanted to do was frighten Shuichi, and he couldn't stand the thought of being turned down. If Shuichi tried to make him leave, he'd be failing in his promise to Yuki, and even with his dislike of the street rat, he still respected him enough to uphold his word.

He shook his head a few times to clear his thoughts and started walking towards the courtyard. For Shuichi's sake, he had to risk being turned down. He loved the prince, and if Shuichi could ever find it in himself to feel the same way, even a little bit, Hiro knew that he could make him happy. When he reached Shuichi's haven, he cracked his neck and entered, clearing his throat to announce himself.

"Mmm?" Shuichi mumbled, turning slowly to see who'd invaded his courtyard.

"It's just me, it's Hiro." Hiro replied quickly, not wanting to startle his fragile friend. "Listen, Shuichi, I need to talk to you."

"Not now, Hiro…" Shuichi whispered, his voice hoarse from his first night without Yuki.

"Yes, now, please just hear me out." Hiro pressed, wanting to get everything off of his chest in one go. The longer he dragged it out, the harder it would be for him to say the right words, and if the council was left to their own devices for long, he would never be able to, and Shuichi wouldn't even have a say in his own future. "I…I…I'm in love with you."

"Wha?" Shuichi asked, almost topping into the fountain in his surprise. "Hiro, what is this?"

"I love you, Shuichi, I'm not just saying it, it's real, and I understand if you don't feel the same." Hiro responded, almost choking on his words in his hurry to get them out. Shuichi looked like he was torn between panicking and attacking, and he was eager to avoid both.

"Hiro…"

"Please, just let me finish." Hiro said, putting up his hands and looking Shuichi in the eye. "I came back here to fight for you, to save you from this place. I thought you hated…him, and I couldn't live with myself for leaving you like that."

Shuichi stared at Hiro, waiting for the world to make sense. He'd stayed up all night, unable to face going to sleep without Yuki, unwilling to return to his room knowing that his lover wouldn't be there. After spending the night with Cinda, he'd calmed down enough to want to see the next day, but he still felt numb. He'd resolved to stay in the palace, to leave Yuki alone, and he was starting to form a plan, some way that he could survive without his love.

Now that he finally had a fragile grip on his new life, Hiro was throwing him this curve ball, and he wasn't entirely sure how to handle it all. He sighed and faced his friend, waiting for the rest of his explanation.

"When I came back to find you so in love with…him, and so happy, I didn't know what to do. I was going to stand by and let you be, because I knew that's what you wanted, but now…well, now I can't, Shuichi, I can't. I'm not going to abandon you again, never, even if I'm just here as your friend." Hiro continued, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're everything to me now, I have no idea why, or how, this happened, but it did, and I'm thankful for every second that I feel this way."

"Hiro, I can't…I love…I love…Yuki." Shuichi managed to say, clearing his throat a few times to make it easier to speak. He stared at Hiro, starting to feel a little defensive. He'd just lost the love of his life, Hiro knew that, he'd been there for it, and yet here he was, confessing his undying devotion. "And you know that. I told you everything, I told you the story, and how much he meant to me. What do you expect me to say?"

"I know that, I know, I just had to say it, Shuichi. I love you more than I know how to explain, I would do anything for you, even if it means leaving you alone. As long as you're happy, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters to me, really." Hiro tried to explain, wondering if he'd spoken too soon. "And I don't expect you to say anything, I understand if you don't feel the same, Shuichi."

"I don't. And I don't think I ever will." Shuichi said, looking down as he said it. Hiro went silent for a few beats, and Shuichi instantly regretted being so harsh. "Hiro, I'm sorry, really, I am, but Yuki was my entire world, and he's gone…and I don't know what to do…and…I'm so tired…"

"I know, Shuichi, it'll be alright." Hiro said, approaching Shuichi to comfort him.

"No! You don't know! And it won't be alright, he's gone! He left me!" Shuichi screamed, jumping up and backing away from Hiro. Cinda gave the advancing royal a warning grunt and returned to her breakfast. "And I don't believe you!"

"Why not? I love you, Shuichi, I do! I want to be with you, you can't see that? Why else would I have come back? Why else would I have fought off Mika and Tohma, why?" Hiro asked, narrowly avoiding spilling the beans about Yuki's departure in his rant.

"Well, then what are you going to do when the council marries me off, huh?" Shuichi asked, crossing his arms and glaring at Hiro.

"That's why I'm talking to you now, and not later. Listen to me, Shuichi, please…I can't even begin to fathom how hurt you must be, I won't pretend to try, but I love you, and I want to be there for you, no matter what, and in any way that I can be. Please believe me when I say that, please…" Hiro said, a few tears escaping.

"Hiro…" Shuichi whispered, sighing. His lack of sleep and broken heart were making him snippy, and he hated that he was taking it out on his friend. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry?"

"I shouldn't have said that…I overreacted, it's just…I miss him so much…and…wait, why does talking to me now make any difference to the council?" Shuichi asked, sitting down again. He hadn't been tired before his outburst, but now he felt completely drained.

"Because…well…Shuichi, I want to marry you. Not because the Sultana wanted it, not because my parents want it, not because the council may try to force it, but because I love you. I want this, and I'll understand if you don't. But please, consider it. Don't just say no…please." Hiro managed to say, watching Shuichi's face carefully for any sign of a response.

"I…don't know what to say." Shuichi answered honestly, going numb all over again. "I…I need some time, Hiro."

"OK. I'll talk to you later then. Just…come find me when you're ready, I won't bother you." Hiro told Shuichi, giving him a small smile and leaving the courtyard. He sighed heavily when he was out of earshot and leaned against a wall for support. "Wow…"

Once he'd seen Shuichi, he hadn't been sure if he'd be able to say the right things to him. Now that the exchange was over, and Shuichi hadn't disowned him, the world looked brighter, and he felt like he could sleep again. He meandered groggily up to his quarters and collapsed, exhausted.

"Now what…." Shuichi mused, getting off of the fountain and wrapping his arms around himself. Cinda grunted a few suggestions and then went off to nap, worn out from a night of comforting. "I don't know what to do…"

Losing Yuki again had sent him into shock, and he'd spent the entire night trying to regain some feeling on the inside, some hope that he'd recover. After hours sitting with Cinda, or wandering blindly around the courtyard, he'd been convinced that he'd never recover all the way, and that a life without Yuki would never be able to come close to the one he'd had before. He sighed and wiped away the tears that were leaking out. He had no idea what to do; his mind was a blank, and no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't make sense of anything, let alone Hiro proposing to him.

Every time he tried to think, there was just emptiness, completely devoid of any thought or feeling, and he felt like he was just floating along, unable to gain control of his own life. He shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself. He needed to calm down if he was going to be able to be truthful to Hiro, but he had no idea how to do that. He tried to remember what would have worked in the past, but he kept drawing blanks. After a few minutes he started to panic, never having had this problem before.

"Yuki…what do I do?" Shuichi whispered, the tears coming back as soon as he said his lover's name.

He sank down onto the ground, and tried to picture Yuki, tried to do anything that would make it hurt less. Part of him knew that trying to see Yuki would just hurt more later, but right now, he needed to feel like his love was close by, that he cared, and that he still loved him, even for a moment. He tried desperately, but he couldn't conjure up any images, or even thoughts, of Yuki when he tried. They'd flitted in and out all night, but none had lingered.

The entire night, he'd been haunted by Yuki's words. They'd been repeated over and over again in his head, and if they hadn't been said in Yuki's sweet voice, it might have driven him crazy. He'd just laid there with Cinda, wishing desperately that there was something he could do. He knew full well that he shouldn't follow Yuki, that if he'd left, that's the way he wanted it.

He took some steadying breaths and stopped his tears, realizing that he had to start breathing again if he was going to get anything accomplished. He stood up and started walking around. He had to think about Hiro, and he had to figure out how to live his life without Yuki.

He only knew one thing, and could only hold onto that one thought in his current state. He didn't want anyone to replace Yuki, ever, and he knew that it wouldn't be fair to Hiro to accept his proposal; it would be a lie. He would never love him like he loved Yuki, he would never be able to love anyone like that ever again, and Hiro deserved more than that.

"Dammit…" Shuichi moaned, collapsing under a tree. From where he was sitting he could see the balcony, and the spot where he'd realized that Eiri was Yuki, that his dashing rescuer wasn't dead. "No, not here, I can't do this anymore…"

Before he could stop himself, the tears started leaking out, and he frantically wiped at his eyes. He'd thought that he was emotionally drained, spent, wiped out, but here he was, sobbing again. Every time an image or a memory of Yuki crossed his mind, everything else stopped mattering, and all he wanted to do was to hold onto it for as long as he could. He tried to think of the sad times, to stop his depressed slide into the past, and all he could draw up was their conversation before Tohma had lost his marbles.

He could see the clouds in Yuki's eyes again, and he could feel the sad tension that had been there. Thinking about one of the lowest points of his life had mellowed him out and stopped the heartbroken tears, but the pain of Yuki abandoning him was burning a hole through him. He stopped sniffling and leaned back against the tree, letting the words wash over him.

He could remember Yuki telling him that he would be fine, that he should move on with his life, and he could remember feeling so helpless to stop the best thing in his life from walking out of it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He moved to get up, and then a particular part of the exchange came rushing back to him.

_"Eiri, please…" Shuichi begged, burying his face into Yuki's collarbone. "I don't want to be with anyone else…"_

_"Stop." Yuki said, a tone of finality in his voice. "It's over, Shuichi, you have to move on, you have to accept this, please…"_

_"I don't think I can…" Shuichi whispered, his voice dead. "I can't…I can't be with anyone else."_

_"Marry Hiro, he'll take care of you…he loves you, anyone could see that."_

"Eiri…" Shuichi whispered, staying where he was. "But…I don't want anyone else…"

He ambled over to the fountain and looked at the cool, calm waters, wanting something to make sense for once that day. He looked down into the pool, saw his reflection, and gasped; he looked so empty. He was used to seeing a certain brightness in his eyes, and a different set to his face. The ghost staring out of him was shocking. He looked like he was completely devoid of life, like he was dead on the inside. He gasped and pulled away, startled by what he'd seen. When he'd been with Yuki, he'd been happy, he'd been whole, and that was the way that he wanted to stay. He wanted to do whatever he could to hold onto his old self, to hold onto Yuki.

Yuki's words echoed back to him then, and he clapped a hand over his mouth to stop from crying out from his realization. He'd do anything to stay close to his lover, and if that meant taking the advice that he'd never wanted to hear, then he'd do it.

* * *

Well guys, this is it. This is the first part of the last chapter…I can't believe that I'm writing my ending. Huh, I've been working on this thing for five years…counting the layout process that took forever. It's going to be so alien to me not having this story to work on…alright, alright, I'm done being sappy.

In other news, my usual summer anime convention is this weekend, and I'm pretty darn excited. I'm wearing that huge poofy white monstrosity that Sarah wears in the Labyrinth ballroom scene. Woot.

Catch you guys next chapter,

Amaya


	42. Chapter 34 Part B

"Yuki!" Ryuichi hissed, slapping his captain. "Pay attention! That last one almost caught you!"

"Whatever…" Yuki replied offhandedly, running a hand through his messy hair. Ever since he'd left the palace six months ago, it had been almost impossible to concentrate on anything. Every time that they were supposed to be stealing something, all he could think about was catching a glimpse of Shuichi, somewhere, somehow.

"You're supposed to be the one in charge, man, come on, pull yourself together!" Ryuichi kept on, trying to make Yuki focus. They still had a full morning if they wanted to feed themselves for the week, and Yuki was going to get them arrested if he wasn't careful. He definitely hadn't been up to snuff after abandoning Shuichi, but he wasn't usually this off.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Yuki snarled, swatting Ryuichi. He hated to admit that he missed Shuichi, and he never would aloud, but it showed clear as day in his work. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, getting into character.

They were stationed in the main street of Agrabah, and they had their sights set on a couple that were passing through the city. They weren't regulars, and they looked loaded. Ryuichi had already robbed the man, and now it was Yuki's turn to move in and distract the other one while Ryuichi stole the fancy purse that was attached to the lady's voluptuous skirts.

Ryuichi and Kuma kept shooing him forward, but he wasn't ready. These days, he had to make sure that there weren't any royal carriages around, that no one had pinkish hair, that his lover wasn't anywhere near him. He scanned the area and sighed heavily; Shuichi wasn't here, just like every other day. He cleared his throat and stepped out onto the street, waiting for the lady to separate from her partner. A few minutes later, she split off to look at a fabric vendor, and Yuki sensed that it was time to move.

"Find something you like?" Yuki asked softly, giving the woman a small smile when she looked his way. As soon as he heard a simpering giggle, he knew that he had her. Even now, with his hair overgrown and his tighter face, he could still make the ladies, and sometimes the men, swoon without even trying.

"No...not really. Not yet, anyway." the woman responded, smiling up at Yuki. "Do you live in this city?"

"Yes, I do, all my life." Yuki replied suavely, putting a hand behind the woman's back and skillfully leading her into the streets, where it'd be easier for Ryuichi to steal her coins without being noticed.

"Wow…we're from out of town, and I've never seen a marketplace like this, it's wonderful…you're…" the lady said, mesmerized by Yuki. "…wonderful. What's your name?"

"My name's…" Yuki started to say, wrapping his arm around the lady's slim waist. He opened his mouth to give her a fake name, but a glint of pink across the way captured his attention. He immediately straightened up and moved away from his quarry, intent on finding out what it was.

"Your name?" she asked again, watching Yuki's face.

"It's Yuki." Yuki answered robotically, not bothering with a lie. The dash of color had turned out to be a flag on a passing horse, and it was long gone now. Yuki shook his head and tried to focus again, turning on a half-hearted smile as he went.

"Wait…Yuki Eiri?" the woman asked, taken aback. The front gate of the city had been plastered in wanted posters, and one of them had had a picture of a thief named Yuki Eiri that looked awfully similar to the man that she was talking to. True, the street rat in the poster had looked better groomed, and maybe a little bit more sane. Hearing the name said aloud had jogged her memory, and the closer she looked at her companion, the more sure she was that he was the wanted thief. Behind her, Ryuichi shook his head and sped up his creeping, intent on getting the money before the screaming started.

"Hmm? Wait, no, that's not…" Yuki sputtered, feeling his stomach drop into his feet. He'd really screwed up this time. He'd never failed to give a fake name before, and he guessed from the woman's tone that she knew exactly who he was now.

"GUARDS!" the woman screeched, clutching her coin purse to her chest, just in time to keep it out of Ryuichi's outstretched hands.

"No, it's not-" Yuki managed to get out before the accusing prey's friend tackled him from behind and sent him flying into Ryuichi and Kumagoro.

"Guards!" the man and woman yelled, pointing excitedly to Yuki and Ryuichi when some came tearing around the corner.

"Dammit, Yuki, what the hell is wrong with you?" Ryuichi hissed, smacking Yuki on the shoulder and grabbing his arm to pull him up. "We have to get out of here, come on, move!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Yuki snapped, shaking off Ryuichi and pelting down the street.

"Obviously you don't!" Ryuichi shouted back, jumping up and standing his ground, waiting for the guards to get closer so that he could unleash a good beaming on them.

"So stupid…" Yuki whispered, falling back into his own thoughts. It took so little to throw him off these days, and he hated every single waking second of it. It disgusted him that he was so dependent on someone else, that even seeing the color of his hair somewhere could rip him out of a con. He grumbled and sped up, unwilling to be arrested for being a heartbroken moron.

He stopped when he reached a deserted alley and sank down onto the ground, listening for the sounds of a successful Ryuichi attack. He could hear some screams in the distance, and he was pretty sure that the mushroom cloud of dust meant that Ryuichi had gotten off at least one good throw. As long as Ryuichi had the guards distracted, he was safe, and could stop to corral his thoughts and catch his breath.

Ever since he'd walked away, he wished that he hadn't. Whenever Ryuichi wasn't hell-bent on keeping him busy, his mind wandered back to what he'd had, and the knowledge that he'd never have it again. It killed him that Shuichi wasn't in his life, but he knew that it was for the best, and that Hiro had been right; he wasn't what Shuichi needed, he couldn't take care of him like he deserved.

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall. Sometime he could feel Shuichi in his arms, feel his hair on his face, some little hint of his lover, and those times haunted him. Even in the bright sunlight, far away from his cold bed, the memories followed him, tormenting him endlessly. He took a steadying breath and tried to hold it together, refusing to let his emotions win this round.

Back in the palace, it had been a shock to realize that he was capable of real feelings, and now that he was away from their source, it was even more a shock to realize that they had only intensified. He loved Shuichi, more so than ever, now that he was gone, and it was slowly but surely killing him. His life didn't feel like it was his anymore, and the fact that he was spiraling out of control did nothing to help him. He was very aware that he was losing himself, and that as each day went on, he became less himself and more a sick façade than anything else.

He was used to relying on his instincts to find his way out of any situation, even when he got stuck in his own head. It had never steered him wrong, and it had been present since he was a kid, since he'd been forced to live alone. Waking up each morning with the realization that he was entirely alone had thrown him almost as much as his lasting feelings. Without his intuition, he felt useless, and it made him sick to see what he'd become. Whenever he tried to reason his way out of his misery, his head got clouded and clogged with emotion, and he had no idea how to rein them in, no idea how to even begin to control them.

He shifted where he sat, trying to stay comfortable while he waited for Ryuichi. Even though he'd been dealing with this for six months, it was still new to him. He'd never dealt with love before, and he felt like a fool, like a puppet being pulled around by strings that he'd never wanted to have in the first place. He sighed heavily and sank a little further down, wishing that he could wake up from his life.

"There he is!" a voice shouted, making Yuki jump up. "Hey! Stay where you are, no sense in running, you're cornered!"

"What the…" Yuki muttered, his eyes widening in shock. He'd heard the explosions, seen the tell-tale signs of a Ryuichi victory; Ryuichi had never failed before.

"Bring the other one around!" the apparent leader of the guards shouted, snapping his fingers a few times.

Yuki recoiled and leaned back against his wall, unsure of how to handle the situation. He was used to Tatsuha following Ryuichi around like a lost puppy, or the other guards celebrating their capture wildly enough for him to simply walk away. He didn't recognize any of the guards this time, and they hadn't seen Tatsuha for months.

"Let me go!" Ryuichi screamed, writhing around. One of the guards had him hoisted up by his waist, and two others were carrying his feet.

"Really? You couldn't use the ropes?" the leader asked on a sigh, looking and sounding completely exasperated. The council had put him in charge while Tatsuha was away, and even though he was loving the chance to usurp his boss, the idiocy of the other guards was overwhelming sometimes.

"Now that's creative." Yuki interjected, deciding that he needed to do something right that day. If they got arrested, that meant that they'd be taken to the palace, and possibly killed. The guards that were holding onto the thrashing Ryuichi were familiar to him, and he was starting to see a glimmer of hope in their stupidity.

"Just use the ropes, and you, shut him up!" the new captain ordered, tossing a rope from his hip to one of Ryuichi's captors and gesturing at Yuki with his other hand.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Ryuichi squalled when the guards dropped him and started trying to entrap his flailing limbs. A few of the guards started moving in on Yuki, who cracked his knuckles and glared in response. The guards halted immediately, waiting for their captain to back them up; they'd heard horror stories about this pair.

"That's a new one." The captain replied, rolling his eyes and stepping towards Yuki to help subdue him.

"Ryuichi…" Yuki said calmly, straightening up and staring down the approaching captain. "Where's Kuma?"

"They got him, Yuki! It was horrible!" Ryuichi wailed, biting some exposed guard fingers. "I tried to beam them and, and, I did, but then…"

"Ryuichi." Yuki said simply, willing his accomplice to spit it out. His victory was looking less achievable by the second, and without Ryuichi and his bunny-wielding skills, they were most likely doomed.

"They got him in one of those net things, Yuki! It was awful! Kuma's trapped!" Ryuichi said dramatically, falling onto his knees and cursing the skies. One of the guards sensed an opening and jumped forward to tackle him. Ryuichi rolled backwards to evade and then snatched up one end of the rope, tying a few of the guards' feet together. "And now I can't find him!"

"And you won't, unless you cooperate." The captain told Ryuichi, his eyes never leaving Yuki's face. "And you…let's not do this the hard way."

"Afraid?" Yuki said softly, smirking slightly.

"Not of you. Now!" the captain replied, jumping back when he shouted the last word. He'd spotted Yuki lounging a few minutes before, and one of his more competent men had stationed himself on the roof above, poised to drop a sand bag at his command. The bag fell right on target and brought Yuki all the way down, allowing the other men to jump on him and make sure that he wouldn't be able to give them anymore trouble.

"Cheap…shot…" Yuki murmured, his head spinning. He couldn't find his bearings enough to sit up, let alone stand up, so he stayed where he was, content to let the guards lug his dead weight around.

"Yuki, what does co-op-er-ate mean?" Ryuichi asked, sitting on top of his toppled pile of guards and rocking back and forth with his eyes closed in concentration. He'd started attacking their ankles after tying them together, and he'd missed the sand bag ploy.

"Not now." Yuki whispered, trying to make himself as heavy as possible for the guards that were trying to hoist him off of the ground.

"It means that you'd better listen to what I tell you, or you won't see your rabbit ever again." The captain answered maliciously, ready to crack down on the thieves now that Yuki wasn't a threat. If he brought in these two, his promotion was surely guaranteed. They'd been on the wanted list for years, and Tatsuha had let them escape one too many times to blame it on sheer incompetence.

"But…" Ryuichi moaned, terribly distraught.

"Take them to the palace." The captain ordered, dusting off his clothes and heading out of the alley. "They're both under arrest."

"You can't arrest us! Tatsuha won't like that!" Ryuichi said, jumping off of the pile of conquered guards and avoiding all attempts to corral him.

"Tatsuha's no longer in charge, he's out of town." the captain replied, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Just grab him already!"

"Out of town?" Yuki asked groggily, having been forced to stand from repeated kicks to his midsection.

"That's it, hold still or I'll destroy that rabbit! I have royal backing!" the captain snarled, upset that Ryuichi was so adept at making a fool out of his unit.

"Royal?" Ryuichi said slowly, thinking over the meaning of the word while dancing out of the guards' reach. "Shuichi?"

"Don't use the Prince's name so casually! And yes." the leader responded, his feathers severely ruffled. Truthfully, he had no such backing, but he was pretty sure that the Prince would support the execution of a common criminal. He'd been handling middling affairs since the disappearance of the Sultana, and everyone knew that you could get him to agree to anything if you made it sound confusing enough. He was even more out of it these days, if that were possible.

"But he's my friend!" Ryuichi cried, stopping his dancing to start his bawling.

"Such insolence will not go unpunished…I will rip that rabbit apart, you'd better start behaving!"

"But he is! And we played games, and did each other's hair, and told stories, and, and, we played with Cinda all the time!" Ryuichi said, his voice pleading.

"Cinda?" one of the guards asked, enthralled by the drama. "The Prince's elephant?"

"Yep!" Ryuichi chirped, failing to notice the circle of captors closing in.

"Sir, how would he know about her?" one of the older guards whispered to their new leader, his gut telling him that something was going on.

"I have no idea, it doesn't matter. They're just going to be executed anyway." he replied under his breath, not wanting to cause any more uproar.

"There's no feasible way that they could know about the elephant's name unless they've actually met his majesty…if you kill them and they turn out to be some old friends of his, you can kiss that promotion goodbye." The older man said quickly, ignoring the fake look of shock that the captain responded with. "Don't give me that look, we all know that you're gunning for Tatsuha's job. You'd better take this seriously."

The captain stayed quiet for a little bit, weighing his options. If he had them brought in, and taken care of, he'd have glory for years, he would have accomplished something that Tatsuha never had. But on the other hand, if they did indeed know the Prince, and he had them killed, he probably wouldn't be around much longer than his quarry. He sighed and nodded at his advisor.

"Take them to the palace. Not the dungeons, the throne room. We'll see if they really do know his majesty." the captain ordered, his tone resigned.

Yuki opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to decide what sound to make. Part of him wanted to curse Ryuichi, to blacken his name for mentioning Shuichi, but part of him was glad for his companion's idiocy; if he hadn't spoken up, they'd probably have been dead by sunset. He eventually opted for silence and walked along between his assigned guards, his head spinning. He was going back to the place he'd never wanted to see again, and there was nothing he could do about it. Even though he longed for a glimpse of Shuichi, the last thing that he wanted was to be in his presence again; it would be too painful.

He'd heard that the Prince was engaged, that Shuichi had moved on, and now that his advice had come full-circle, he was being forced to deal with it. He sighed and tried to shut down, unsure of what would happen if he didn't.

The guards plowed on, Ryuichi whistled a happy bunny-related tune, and Yuki could feel himself going numb. The closer they got to the palace, the less of himself he could feel, and he was eternally grateful for it.

* * *

"Hey, Shuichi, they still need you to sign off on some arrangements for tomorrow." Hiro called across the room, walking down the long promenade that led to the throne. Shuichi had been lounging in it all morning, determined to ignore the world. "Not exactly the best hiding place…"

"Don't judge." Shuichi shot back, an arm draped over his face and his feet hanging off one side of the giant chair. "What arrangements?"

"Seating, I think. They threw the papers at me and ran for it, apparently they're scared of you."

"As they should be." Shuichi said, lowering his voice and trying to sound menacing.

"You're adorable." Hiro replied on a laugh, walking up to Shuichi and giving him a quick kiss.

Ever since the younger man had agreed to marry him six months ago, Hiro had been on cloud nine. He loved every second that he was with his fiancé, and even though Shuichi could still be guarded at times, he'd really opened up in the last weeks. He seemed to be getting over Yuki, and Hiro was glad that he could be there to help him through it. He'd still refrained from telling Shuichi the truth about his lover's leaving, and he planned on keeping it that way. Shuichi would never forgive him for that, he was sure of it, and if he wanted to keep helping Shuichi move on, he had to stay.

"Why do they want me to sign off on these things? I already told them that I didn't care…" Shuichi muttered, taking the papers from Hiro and glancing at them.

"Maybe because it's your wedding?" Hiro asked playfully, enjoying his recently acquired freedom to get as close as he wanted for as long as he wanted. Shuichi had been aloof at first, sticking to himself and refusing to talk about anything, but here lately, he'd really come out of his shell, and Hiro was hopeful that he'd be able to be just as happy as he was before long.

"Lies." Shuichi responded, smiling. He hadn't looked back since saying yes to Hiro, and he'd refused to stay mired down for too long. He didn't regret his decision, as it was what Yuki had wanted him to do, and he was committed to trying to be happy, even though that meant being without the one he loved. "Isn't it a bit late for this though? The wedding is tomorrow."

"Really? I'd forgotten the date…"

"Hiro!" Shuichi whined, laying on the fake drama.

"Majesties?" a courier said timidly, entering the throne room and bowing. "A few of the guards and their captain have some prisoners that they need your help in dealing with…they told me to tell you."

"Prisoners?" Hiro asked, his stomach starting to feel queasy. He knew the chances were slim, Agrabah was a huge city, but still, there was always the possibility that it would be Yuki or Ryuichi.

"Yes, sir."

"Send 'em in." Shuichi said, stretching out and throwing his arms out behind his head.

"Sure, majesty." the courier responded, backing out of the room and giving the guard captain the word.

The guards strolled into the room, dragging Yuki and Ryuichi with them. One of them had Kuma strung up in a net to ensure Ryuichi's continuing good behavior, the captain having decided that having the rabbit as a visual aid worked better than seemingly empty threats to its safety.

"Oh no…" Hiro whispered.

"Hmm?" Shuichi said, looking up at Hiro and then over to the procession coming closer and closer. When his eyes landed on Yuki, he yelled, and toppled out of his chair, completely shocked. "Yuki?"

"We arrested these men earlier today, and we were taking them in when one of them mentioned your elephant, your highness." the captain said, shoving Ryuichi forward.

"Ryuichi?" Shuichi asked incredulously, having had convinced himself that he'd never see either of the street rats again.

"SHUICHI! They're being mean!" Ryuichi complained, throwing off his restrainers and hopping forward to his friend. Shuichi stumbled forward, still in shock.

"So you do know them, then, sir?" the captain asked, hoping that he didn't, even though the answer was obvious. He'd been so excited about catching them, and now it turned out that he'd almost executed the Prince's friends. He could see his promotion flying out the window, and the sudden image of Tatsuha doing a victory dance wasn't helping anything.

"Yeah…yeah, I do." Shuichi said, his eyes wide. Ryuichi was leaning against him and making small animal noises, and Yuki was purposefully staring in the other direction.

"Well…what should I do with them?"

"Let them go, they're my…friends." Shuichi said quietly, reaching behind Ryuichi and untying him, desperate for a distraction now that he realized that Eiri was stoically ignoring him.

"Shuichi, they're criminals…" Hiro muttered, trying to safeguard his position. If Shuichi ever found out about what he'd done, his love would never forgive him.

"Release them…now." Shuichi said, his voice still soft, but edgy. He shot Hiro a glare and waited for his fiancé to bow his head and take a few steps back. He was content to take the backseat in a lot of matters, but this was far from one of them.

"Yay!" Ryuichi sang out, spinning in place once the guards had taken off his ropes. They reluctantly handed over Kuma and backed up, unwilling to catch any rabbit retribution. He launched into an explanation of what he and Kuma had been doing as soon as he was free, babbling while Shuichi watched the guards untie Yuki.

"Eiri?" Shuichi asked after Ryuichi had danced off to say hello to Hiro and the guards had released Yuki from their clutches. The street rat sighed heavily and looked at the floor, clearly unwilling to look at him. He moved closer, and Yuki started shifting uncomfortably. "Yuki?"

"Thanks." Yuki replied tightly, refusing to allow himself even a glance at Shuichi. He wanted nothing more than to apologize for leaving, to beg him to take him back, to hold him again, but he knew that he couldn't. Shuichi was going to marry Hiro, tomorrow, and it wasn't his place to mess that up. As soon as the guards backed off he turned on his heel and left the room, torn between embracing the love of his life or escaping from this new hell.

"Hey!" Ryuichi pouted, seeing his captain fleeing. He sighed after Yuki had left the room, having failed to realize how hard the reunion must have been on him.

"Eiri! Don't…" Shuichi shouted, considering running after Yuki. When it was clear that the thief wasn't coming back he stopped where he was and wrapped his arms around himself, fighting off the tears. He'd thought that he was fixed, that he was fine, but seeing Yuki again had shaken him, and he could feel himself losing control all over again. "Why…"

"I'm sorry, Shuichi, I panicked, didn't know what else to do. I didn't think they'd bring us here. I thought Tatsuha would take care of it." Ryuichi said quickly, walking back to Shuichi and pulling him into a tight hug. "See you around, and…congratulations."

He nodded once at Hiro and then jogged out of the room, eager to find Yuki before something bad happened. His friend couldn't take care of himself these days, and no one knew it better than him.

"Congratulations?" Shuichi said to himself, trying to make sense of the word. He turned around and dismissed the guards, the realization of what Ryuichi had meant hitting him when he saw Hiro standing next to the throne. The engagement had been made very public in an attempt to smooth over Mika and Tohma going insane. He hadn't thought about who was on the outside, hearing about all the grand plans and the Prince's new 'love'. "Oh no…"

"Shuichi?" Hiro asked, concerned. Shuichi looked like he was about to break, and he had no idea how to cope with that.

"Please just leave…I can't…I…" Shuichi stammered, unable to breathe.

"Shuichi, let me help you...anything I can do?"

"NO! You're not him!" Shuichi yelled, slapping at Hiro. "Leave me alone!"

"Alright, I'm sorry. You know where I am if you need me." Hiro replied, putting his hands up and backing away. Shuichi had been taking care of himself since he'd met the kid, and this was no different. He sighed and left the room, wishing that he could help his friend. He felt less confident about his decision after seeing Shuichi's reaction to being in the same room with Yuki again, but he still stood by it. He'd rather have Shuichi safe and taken care of than in danger in the streets, and, after all, Yuki had agreed with him. They both loved Shuichi, and they both wanted to take care of him as best they could, and this was the best option. "I did the right thing, I did the right thing, I did the right thing…"

He tried repeating it to convince himself, but something was still nagging him. Watching Shuichi with Yuki, and hearing the pain in his friend's voice, had kicked off the feeling that was eating him away. It had been six months, and Shuichi still sounded just as raw as he had the day Yuki left. He couldn't begin to fathom how hard this had been on Shuichi, and experiencing it firsthand was opening his eyes to what he'd done, and the consequences he'd never planned for.

The truths that he'd hidden from himself, and from everyone else, were starting to resurface. He felt sick to his stomach the more he thought about it, and he couldn't believe that he was the one responsible. Ever since he'd met Shuichi, all he'd wanted to do was to be his friend, and to be there for him. Now, he was the reason that he was hurting, not the reason that he was happy. Every single smile that he'd coaxed out of his fiance in the last months had been lies, every laugh, everything. He stopped and grabbed a wall for support, hating himself for having the capacity to do what he'd done.

He'd done wrong by Shuichi, it wasn't fair to him for others to be deciding his life for him, and Hiro knew it, but at the time, he hadn't known what else to do. He'd tried to tell himself that he wasn't being selfish, but deep down, he knew that he was. He never should have seperated them, he knew that now, but then, he'd thought it best. He honestly had, and he held onto that thought for dear life. Without it, he was what he'd never wanted to be, and he didn't know if he'd be able to live with himself. He should have given Shuichi power over his own life, he should have told Shuichi how he felt and let him choose, or told him that Yuki only left because of their talk. He could have done those things, and yet he hadn't. He'd lied to his friend, lied to the one he loved, and he didn't deserve half of what he had, let alone all of it.

He stopped mulling over his thoughts and considered coming clean to Shuichi, but he honestly didn't know what that would solve. If he didn't marry Shuichi, the council would find someone else to attach him to, some stranger. The street rat wasn't an option to them, and he'd clearly not wanted to stay. If he told Shuichi the truth and broke it off, he'd be abandoning him. He couldn't stomach that thought, and dismissed it, sighing.

"It's too late…" Hiro mused aloud, feeling absolutely horrible. He felt like a terrible person, even though at this point he was staying to save Shuichi. He couldn't believe that he'd fooled himself so much, that he'd made himself believe that everything he'd done was for Shuichi. He still felt sick, but he knew that there was nothing he could do now. His punishment would be living the lie for a lifetime, and he'd spend that lifetime making sure that Shuichi was as happy as he possibly could be, and that he was safe from the machinations of everyone else in the world.

He ambled down the hallway, feeling numb. He eventually wound his way to his room and collapsed onto his bed, feeling lower than dirt.

* * *

Shuichi lay curled up in the large throne, completely vacant. He'd spent the last months ignoring his pain, telling himself over and over again that he'd be happy with Hiro, that he'd be fine, that everything would work out. Now that he'd seen his lover again, been close enough to touch him, close enough to look into his eyes again, he was dying. It felt like he was being stabbed all over his body, like he was being turned inside out, and he hated it.

He didn't know why Yuki had left him, he didn't know what he'd done wrong, but he hated himself for it. Yuki could still do no wrong, he loved him more than his own life, and he couldn't stand the fact that Yuki didn't love him back. He was drowning in his despair, and this time, there was no light to swim back to. There was nothing to look forward to, no childish hope that he'd find Yuki sitting in his room, or waiting for him in the throne room, or out and about shopping in the marketplace. His lover didn't want him anymore, that had been clear today. He hadn't even looked at him, not once, and he felt miserable.

He was crying hard enough to jostle himself out of the throne, and when he hit the floor, the new pain didn't even register. He stayed where he was, bawling like a lost child. He'd told himself that he could live without Yuki, that he would love Hiro, but he knew now that he couldn't. He only wanted Yuki, he couldn't live without him, and he had no idea what he was going to do now. He made himself believe the lie, he'd lived the lie, and tomorrow he was supposed to make it all permanent. He started crying harder at the thought, and felt even worse.

He'd lied to Hiro, too. He didn't love him, and he never would love him like he'd loved Yuki. Yuki was the other part of his soul, his other half, and he was floundering without him in his life. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't think, and he wished above all else that he couldn't feel. He'd have given anything to escape the pain that was racking his body, to get out of his head, to leave this life behind.

"How could you…" Shuichi moaned, flopping onto his back.

Yuki had known how he'd felt, he'd told him countless times, he'd begged him to stay, promised him that he wouldn't be fine without him, that he couldn't live without him, and he'd still walked away. He didn't resent him, he couldn't, it wasn't possible, and he only hated himself more the longer he dwelled on it. He hated himself for not being enough.

He stayed still for a while, staring at the ceiling and trying to make himself calm down. If he kept it up, he didn't know how he'd recover, and he needed to stop before he couldn't help himself anymore.

Once he'd regulated his breathing and stopped crying, he started thinking over the next day. He'd promised to marry Hiro, he'd said yes, but his heart hadn't been in it. He couldn't decide which was worse, lying to his friend and to himself, or cancelling the engagement the night before the ceremony. He knew that he'd have to leave if he called it off, or the council would just pawn him off on someone else.

"I can't…" Shuichi whispered, realizing now that he couldn't force himself to spend his life living a lie. The only person that he wanted to be with was Yuki, and if he couldn't have him, he wouldn't have anybody. It wasn't fair to him or Hiro to go through with the marriage, and he didn't want to be the one responsible for hurting Hiro more than he would be by leaving. He tried to stand up, to tell Hiro his choice before it was too late, before he came to his senses and fell back into the role of a good little prince.

"Ahh, there you are. We need to have a little talk." a council member said, leading the way into the throne room. They'd been searching for him for a while, intent on making sure that all the proper paperwork was ready for tomorrow.

"Yeah, we do. I don't want to-"

"No, no, we need to talk to you. Not the other way around." another member chimed in, pulling out several scrolls. "This ceremony has to be perfect, the royal image can't take any more damage after what your stepmother did."

"She's right, you know. Your marriage to Prince Nakano will go a long way to fix things. Now, just go ahead and sign this, tomorrow we'll make it all solid."

"No…I don't want to marry Hiro." Shuichi managed to get out before the female member held up her hand to silence him. "I don't want to marry Prince Nakano. I've changed my mind."

"Listen, you, you don't have a choice now." the head of the council spat furiously, advancing on Shuichi. "You don't marry him, and we'll just put in the substitute."

"I'll be long gone by then." Shuichi hissed, glaring at them through narrow slits.

"We already have several lined up, here in the palace. You turn down Nakano and we'll force one of them on you. We have the law behind us, your majesty." one of the others sneered, handing Shuichi the article that gave them, or the ruling body, the power to arrange marriages. "We don't really need your consent, but I think you already knew that. The Sultana was going to force you to marry that Eiri fellow if he hadn't run off, and before that Nakano was her choice."

"You can't do this!" Shuichi countered helplessly, trapped.

"Yes, we can, and we will. Now, if you still want to turn down Nakano, we'll call down the substitutes and choose one of them for you."

"I…" Shuichi stuttered, unsure of himself now that he'd been cornered. He couldn't decide if it was selfish of him to still marry Hiro when he didn't love him. He knew that he didn't want to end up with a stranger, and that Hiro had said it didn't matter if he loved him or not, that he understood either way, but that wasn't a good enough excuse for him to hurt Hiro. His breathing sped up again and he started panicking, unable to form coherent sentences.

"We'll let you think about it over night, tomorrow you'll be too busy, and we'll sign everything after the ceremony tomorrow." one member suggested, patting Shuichi on the shoulder sarcastically. They all left the room then, closing the door behind them.

"Damn…" Shuichi whispered, shell-shocked. He had no idea what to do, and he didn't have much time to think it over. Tomorrow evening he had to marry someone, no matter what he wanted. He sighed and went back to the throne, steeling himself for yet another night of reflection.

* * *

Well, it was looking like the last chapter would be pretty darn long, so I decided to split things up. The next post might not be too horrendously long, but it will definitely be the last one for this story. As always, thank you for the continued support, it means a lot.

See you guys next time,

Amaya


	43. Chapter 34 Part C

"Ryuichi, I'm not going." Yuki said stiffly, crossing his arms and scooting backwards until he was securely wedged into his corner of their house. "No way in hell."

"Yuuuuki!" Ryuichi whined, trying to pull the much larger man up. Behind him, the rug shrugged its nonexistent shoulders and flitted around the room, anxious to get going. After it had followed Ryuichi out of the palace, it had taken a little vacation, unwilling to deal with the depressed version of Yuki. It had just returned that morning, and so far, it wasn't liking what it was seeing. "Come on, I wanna go!"

"Why? And if you want to go so bad, then just go dammit!"

"Because he's still my friend! And I want to be there! I want to see him again!" Ryuichi said at light speed, trying to draw Yuki out. This was his last chance to fight for Shuichi, and even though he'd crumpled after seeing him yesterday and had fled faster than a camel during shearing season, he knew that Yuki still loved Shuichi, and that he still wanted to be with him.

"Then. Just. Go." Yuki spat, kicking out at Ryuichi. The latter grabbed his foot and dragged him forward, almost cursing with the effort. "No! Stop it Ryuichi!"

"COME WITH ME!" Ryuichi screeched, throwing all of his weight backwards and yanking Yuki closer and closer to the door.

"NOOO!"

"But…"

"One good reason." Yuki hissed, kicking at Ryuichi with his free foot and getting it snared by his roommate too. On the other side of the room, the rug did a little victory dance, though a half-hearted one. It wasn't enjoying Yuki's misery as much as usual. There was something different going on this time, and the rug could sense that it was much more serious.

"Because you need to fight for him." Ryuichi said matter-of-factly, dropping Yuki's feet and staring at him. "This is it, Eiri, after today, he's gone."

"I don't want him back!"

"Stop lying! To me, and to yourself! You still love him, that's obvious, and you're at least going to go and watch him walk away, that'll give you closure. If you can stand there and watch him leave you forever, then you can get over him, and if you can't, then you can fight for him, he still loves you too, I know it." Ryuichi said empathetically, letting his arms fall to his side when he was finished. "Please…you need this."

"I don't 'need' anything, Ryuichi!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No!"

"Eiri!"

"Ryuichi!"

"If you go, I'll never bother you about it again. I'll never make you do anything else, I'll never say his name, nothing. Ever. I promise." Ryuichi offered, sensing that his end was near.

"If I go, you'll never make me do anything?" Yuki said skeptically. "Ryuichi, you've never been able to make me do anything."

"Well, then I'll go out of my way to mention him daily, to schedule palace visits, to see him all the time, and to tell you how he's doing with his new husband." Ryuichi said, venom in his words. He was dedicated to helping his friend, and it was irritating to see him being so stubborn.

"You wouldn't. That's low, even for you." Yuki responded icily, crossing his arms and staying put. "And I don't love him."

"Bullshit." Ryuichi spat, glaring daggers at his insolent comrade. "That's absolute crap. I'm with you every single day, I've known you longer than anyone else, I know how you function, Eiri, and I'm telling you, you love him."

"Ryuichi, you don't know shit." Yuki replied haughtily, refusing to budge. He wasn't about to admit to Ryuichi that he had feelings, and if Shuichi was content to move on, then that was none of his business.

"Eiri, come on. This is sad, and I'm not going to keep fighting you…" Ryuichi said after a five minute stare down. As much as he wanted to help Yuki, if he didn't want to help himself, there really wasn't anything he could do. His last ditch effort would be to walk away, to let him have some alone time to think things over. He knew that he'd at least left an impression, maybe planted some ideas, and that would have to be enough. "Well, I'm going. I'll be up on the wall, it's your choice if you want to go."

"I won't be joining you, and you damn well know that." Yuki threw at Ryuichi, falling onto his back and putting his arms behind his head. "I'll be napping."

"You're such an ass." Ryuichi told Yuki, rolling his eyes and stepping out, the rug trailing behind him. If Yuki chose not to come, that was on him. If he lost Shuichi forever, then that was his choice. "What are we going to do with him, Kuma?"

Yuki stayed where he was until he couldn't hear Ryuichi and Kuma's conversation. He knew that Ryuichi was right; he was still in love with Shuichi, and part of him did want to fight for him. He had no idea if he should, but he also wasn't sure if he could live with himself if he didn't at least go and make sure that Shuichi was happy, that he would be alright.

The more he thought about it, the more Ryuichi's words were making sense. Even though he'd told himself that it was none of his business, he wanted to see him one last time, if nothing else. Seeing him in the throne room had hurt him terribly, but maybe Ryuichi was right about getting some closure too. If he could walk out of Shuichi's life, then he could at least watch Shuichi walk out of his. If he could watch him leave for good, watch him promise to stay with someone else, to love someone else, then maybe his heart would start to understand that it was over, and that he had to move on.

It was hell being stuck in the past, but there were the moments when he was secretly glad that he could remember Shuichi so well. There were times when he could feel him next to him while he slept, and sometimes he swore that he could feel his embrace. He wanted to hold onto him, but he also knew that he had to let him go. If he was going to live his life, then he had to live it without Shuichi's memory haunting him, without the question of 'what if' hanging over his head. Once Shuichi was married, he'd be gone forever, out of his reach, unattainable, and Yuki had the feeling in his gut that that's what it would take to make him understand that his lover wasn't going to be his again, now or ever.

He sighed and pulled himself off of the floor. He needed to go, no matter how much it would hurt. He needed to say goodbye, in his own way, and Ryuichi really was right, this was his last chance. He left the house and followed after Ryuichi, letting the sounds of the crowd lead him to the royal ceremony.

* * *

Shuichi was sequestered behind the crowd, waiting in one of the tall towers surrounding the large courtyard. The ceremony was going to be long and grandiose, and every single person of importance would be walking down the aisle. As much as he'd protested, he was stuck doing it, but that was the least of his worries. He'd eventually decided to marry Hiro, to stay with his friend. Even though he'd never love Hiro the same way that he loved Eiri, he loved him as a friend, and that was better than nothing. Besides, some stranger wouldn't know anything about him, and would most likely drive Hiro out. If that happened, they'd both be miserable.

He sighed and leaned against a wall, wishing that this wasn't his life. He was set in his choice, he'd rather have Hiro then some handpicked goon, but he still felt terrible about lying to him. Someday, after everything had calmed down, he was going to explain everything, he was going to tell Hiro about all of his feelings, and he was going to apologize for trapping him in a marriage with someone that would never feel the same way. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt, and he was almost scared that he wouldn't be able to go through with it. Even though Hiro had told him that he never had to feel the same way, he still felt incredibly guilty, and nothing that anyone could say would ever change that. He'd been planning on running away, he'd wanted to leave, and the only reason that he'd stayed to marry Hiro was because of the council's threats.

"This isn't right…" Shuichi groaned, closing his eyes and wondering if he could run fast enough to escape before they caught him. The council could have the city, and he'd find a way to get back to Hiro, and to tell him what had happened.

"Ten minutes." a voice said, interrupting his plotting.

The council had assigned him a contingent of guards, and even if he might be able to outrun them, he'd never get out the door without being caught. He sighed again and had to steel himself against the tears that were threatening to come back. In his last moments of freedom, he thought back to his days with Yuki and smiled softly, missing him more now than ever before.

He could feel his lover in the room, he could feel him holding him, he could feel his arms wrapped around him, and it was a comfort, not a pain, this time. He let the tears roll down his cheeks and smiled wider, almost delirious with his memories. He remembered their first kiss, their first night together, and what it felt like to watch him sleep next to him. He could see Yuki's face, and he could hear his voice, telling him that it would be alright, and he almost believed it. He closed his eyes tight and pictured his love.

"I love you…" Shuichi whispered to the empty room, wanting more than anything for his image to be real, just one last time.

He kept his eyes shut, not ready to face reality again. He couldn't bear to lose him again, he wasn't ready to let him go for good. He tried to mouth 'goodbye', but he was choking on the words. He couldn't tell Yuki goodbye, he'd never been able to, and now he had to.

"Eiri, please…please…" Shuichi begged the apparition in his mind, desperate to have him back. "Please don't leave me…please…"

He could feel himself shaking, but he knew that he had to try. He wiped the tears from his face, opening his eyes. He had to move on, he had to leave Yuki behind, no matter how hard it was.

"Good…bye…" Shuichi whispered finally, his eyes streaming. "I love you so much…I'm so sorry..."

He was standing on the edge of his new life, and he knew full well that he wasn't ready to take that step. He wanted to rewind so bad it hurt, and the knowledge that he couldn't was torture. He wanted everything to stop, to pause, on his memories, and he couldn't make it, no matter how much he wanted to. He could still feel Yuki in the room with him, and he wanted to hold him, to keep him there as long as he could, to make him stay. Yuki was his true love, he was the one that was meant for him, and as long as he could feel him there, he wasn't leaving. Yuki may have walked out on him, and that hurt more than anything he could have ever imagined, but he wasn't going to walk out on him. He would've stayed with him forever, he would have done anything for him, and it tore him apart that he couldn't.

The only thing that he wanted was to be with Yuki, and he couldn't. He couldn't be with him, and he couldn't stay there forever, holding onto a fading memory.

He turned away from the center of the room and tried to steady himself, blinded by his grief. He didn't feel ready to do this, he didn't feel like he could really tell Yuki goodbye. He could feel the weight of his words on his heart, and he knew that they'd needed to be said, but it felt like a defeat all the same. He'd have given anything to be walking to Yuki, to have the one he loved on the other end of that aisle, but that wasn't possible, and it wasn't what Yuki wanted. A sob escaped from his lips and he almost doubled over, wondering if he was going to be sick. He felt feverish, he felt trapped, he felt horrible.

Saying goodbye was supposed to be a freeing experience, but he felt even more tied down now. He'd admitted to himself that Yuki was gone, that they'd never be together again, that he'd never fall asleep to his heartbeat, that he'd never feel his lips on his again, and it was awful. He felt so alone, even though he was surrounded by people, separated only by a door.

"It's time, majesty." the guard said loudly, rapping on the door.

"O…ok…" Shuichi managed, scrambling for something to wipe his eyes on. He wanted to look composed, sane, like he was in control, even though his life had spiraled out of it. He cleaned his face and stepped out, trying to be ready to face his fate.

He scanned the people in attendance, but none were familiar to him. The only friends he'd ever had besides Hiro and Cinda weren't welcome here, and even if they had been, he'd driven the most important one away, somehow. He shook his head, pushing Yuki out of it. He couldn't think about him now, he couldn't afford to. He had to do his best for Hiro, for himself, and he didn't have time to chase phantoms.

"Hey, there he is!" Ryuichi squealed, pointing excitedly at Shuichi when he emerged. He and Yuki were kneeling on the rug, peering over one of the palace walls. The townspeople were standing on the streets outside, waiting for the parades and the royal procession that would come through the city after the wedding.

"Great." Yuki muttered, trying to look away but unable to take his eyes off of Shuichi. They'd dressed him in deep violet, and he was stunning.

Yuki sighed and pulled his gaze away, not wanting to hurt himself more than necessary. Most of the people involved in the ceremony had already been announced, and then escorted down the main aisle. Ryuichi had 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at every single one of them, and he was about ready to kill him for more than one reason at this point.

"His royal majesty, Prince Shuichi." the announcer called out, signaling the drummers to start their fanfare.

"Yuki…" Shuichi whispered almost silently, raising his eyes to meet Hiro's at the end of the walkway. He started forward when the drummers had finished, focused entirely on where Hiro was standing.

"I don't believe it…" K said to himself, a little stunned. He'd been keeping tabs on the palace in case Tohma or Caspian resurfaced, and when he'd heard about Shuichi's marriage, he'd come back to check things out for himself.

He knew that Yuki had left the palace, and that Hiro had stayed with Shuichi, but he'd had no idea that Shuichi would have agreed to actually marry him. He glanced around the courtyard, wanting to spot some familiar faces, and he was relieved when he did. Yuki and Ryuichi were on the other side of the walls, and he was hoping against hope that they were going to do something stupid. Shuichi wouldn't be happy with anyone other than Yuki, that was clear, and from what he could see, Yuki looked absolutely miserable. He'd known that it was going to be tough on both of them, but Yuki definitely looked worse. He was sure that Ryuichi had tried his best, but this looked like a lost cause. Yuki needed Shuichi, and vice versa.

"Ryuichi…don't disappoint me…" K murmured, throwing on some sunglasses to shield his eyes from the setting sun.

Shuichi kept walking, getting closer and closer to his new life, to his supposed new love, but he could feel himself slowing down. The closer he got to Hiro, the clearer the truth got. He couldn't do this. He couldn't lie to his friend, and he couldn't force himself into a life that he didn't want. If he had to run for the rest of his life, he would. If he had to end his life to end his nightmare, he would. Nothing was worse than what he was condemning himself to.

He only wanted Yuki, no one else could ever love him the same way, and it made him sick to think of being with anyone else. He stopped walking and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to Hiro, who nodded, and bowed his head.

"Shuichi…" Hiro whispered, smiling on the inside. After his guilt trip the day before, he'd considered calling everything off, but hadn't thought that it would be fair to Shuichi. Now that Shuichi was taking care of things for him, the world was looking brighter.

"I can't do this. I can't marry Prince Nakano." Shuichi said loudly to the council members. "And I won't marry anyone else, no matter what you try and do. I'll…I'll…think of something…"

"You won't do any such thing, you don't have any power here! You have to do as we say, you're not married yet, we own you!" one of the members hissed, raising his hand to signal the guards. They'd worked hard to secure a future for the city, and the idiot prince wasn't going to ruin it for them. A bullet zipping past his hand stopped him dead in his tracks, and he quickly sat back down, stunned.

"I don't love you like that, Hiro, and you know that…" Shuichi said in a quieter voice, directing his words at Hiro, who had jogged forward to meet him halfway. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright…listen, I…"

"No, it's not alright, you've been so good to me, and-"

"Shuichi, please don't say that…" Hiro said, wincing. He still wasn't entirely sure if he should tell Shuichi the truth, but his realization from the day before had left him raw and stinging.

"I just don't know what else to do…" Shuichi said, tears in his eyes again. "I…"

"We'll think of something, don't worry." Hiro answered, racking his brain. He couldn't abduct him, that would start a war, and there wasn't any loophole in the law to save him. He'd have to escape himself, and depending on the council's next move, that could be nigh impossible. They had the power to force him to marry against his will, and the way things were looking, he'd be on the outs for supporting his friend. They'd probably choose someone they'd groomed for the throne, and just use Shuichi as a pawn. He started to feel panicky thinking about it, and he knew that he had to find a new way to save Shuichi if marrying him wouldn't work.

"This is getting boring…" Ryuichi said on a yawn, unable to hear anything. All he could tell was that Shuichi had stopped moving, and that he and Hiro were having a conference in the middle of the walkway. Hiro looked genuinely concerned, but it wasn't enough to soften Ryuichi's opinion of him. He'd been suspicious of him the day that he and Yuki left, and his instincts told him that he was right to be. "Yuki…"

"Not now." Yuki snapped, straining to hear and leaning over the edge of the wall.

"Hmph." Ryuichi sighed, considering his options. At this rate, nothing was going to get accomplished. Yuki wasn't going to get his chance to fight, and it looked like he wasn't going to get his closure either. Plus, he and Kuma wanted to be entertained, and nothing was happening. He looked from Yuki to the ground and back again, a wonderful idea forming in his head. "Hey Yuki…"

"Ryuichi, I swear, shut-"

"Go get 'em tiger." Ryuichi said, giving Yuki a good shove and sending him toppling over the wall.

"Ryuichi!" Yuki yelled, slamming into the ground with a thud. He made sure that all of his appendages were attached and immediately stood up, livid and ready to kill his traitorous ex-friend.

"Yuki?" Shuichi asked, having spun around to investigate the loud noise. He stood still for a few seconds, and when Yuki looked his way and didn't turn and leave, he ran forward and threw his arms around his neck, ready to fight him if necessary.

"Shuichi." Yuki said, unable to say anything else. He was shocked by the sudden tackle, and it took a few seconds to regroup. Ryuichi's counsel and the horrors of the last months flitted through his head, and looking down at Shuichi, everything seemed to make sense again. He wrapped his arms around Shuichi and felt at peace for the first time in six months. "I…I'm so sorry."

"What?" Shuichi asked, taken aback.

"I never should have left you, I…" Yuki started to say, very aware that his mouth had been hijacked by his unstable, touchy-feely side. Being this close to Shuichi was having a negative effect on him, and he had no idea how to reign himself in. He glanced over at Hiro and nodded once, unwilling to rat him out when he'd clearly cared about Shuichi enough to let him call off the wedding; it was the only clear thought in his head.

"Yuki?" Shuichi said, convinced that he was dreaming.

"Please stay with me." Yuki plowed on, his emotional side gunning it to get everything out before his rational side regained control and started running for it, or massacring everyone within reach to pay for his embarrassment.

"You want me to?" Shuichi asked incredulously, of the opinion that he'd driven Yuki away.

"I left because…of me, not you, I always wanted you." Yuki managed to say before little lights started dancing in front of his eyes. He felt like he was going to pass out, and he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He'd never thought that he could feel these things, let alone say them aloud, and here he was, baring his soul in front of Agrabah's elite and the only person that really mattered to him.

"You'll let me stay with you?" Shuichi said, still reeling.

"Stay, and the debt's settled." Yuki answered, feeling himself coming back. Somewhere in the back of his tortured mind, he'd remembered their playful debt, and he was thankful that he'd managed to say something less mushy than what had been spewing out earlier. He was ashamed of himself, and if he could've felt his face, he was sure he'd feel the blush that was surely plaguing it.

"Thank you…" Shuichi whispered, unable to say anything else. Yuki had come back to him, he wanted to stay, he wanted to be with him, and nothing else mattered.

"For what?"

"For coming back."

"I never should have left." Yuki said honestly, hugging Shuichi tighter. "So?"

"So?"

"You going to explore other options, or are you staying put?" Yuki asked, avoiding Shuichi's eyes in case the answer he got wasn't the one he wanted.

"You're kidding right?" Shuichi asked, reaching up and grabbing Yuki's face to look him in the eye. "I love you more than I could ever say, and you think I want anyone else? No. You're stuck with me now Yuki, and don't you dare forget that."

"Hmm, forceful today…" Yuki whispered, kissing Shuichi and picking him up off of the ground. When his lover had wrapped his legs around his waist and burrowed into the nape of his neck, he whispered softly, "I love you, too."

"Umm, excuse me, you have no right to just-" the head of the council exclaimed, standing up. K propped up a long gun with a scope and took aim, firing a few shots and taking off the man's hat in the process. The outspoken memeber fainted when he saw the bullet holes, and the remainder of the council fled to safety, unwilling to have their headpieces ruined by a rogue maniac. Ryuichi looked K's way, startled by the sudden onset of violence, and smiled wide when he saw his magical friend.

"Heh." K smirked, winking at Ryuichi and hopping off of the wall, disappearing into the sunset.

* * *

Well folks, this is it. This is the end. It's over, it's done, and I can't believe that I'm typing this. Caspian's passed out on my shoulder, and my poor laptop is ready to explode, and I'm on cloud nine, but in shock, if that makes any sense at all. Woo for commas.

Anyway, here's the sap. I've been working on this thing for five years, including layout work, and it's almost six hundred pages long on my document. I can't believe that I finished it, or that it took me so long to do it. But it's my baby, and it takes a lot for me to transcribe my soul into readable human words, so I suppose I should count myself lucky that it only took me five years…

I bid you all a fond farewell, even though I'll be seeing you in the Epilogue that I'm posted next week…shh, it's a secret. Thank you for all of the reviews, and all the crazy comments, I'm honored that you guys enjoyed this, really I am. It started out as some little drabble and became a lot more to me, and it really makes my day that other people get a kick out of my rambling and my crazy conure.

And finally, the Special Thanks that I am so obligated to give.

To Cathy, for helping me figure out some tough lines when Shuichi and Yuki first met.

To Shelley, for loving Disney more than me and never making fun of this.

To Cage and Steven, for being horrified by the yaoi, and yet so supportive.

To Rachel, for putting up with my stories about this story for way too long.

To the cousins, for giving me some excellent one liners that I have yet to use, for inspiring me more than they know, and for supporting this crazy endeavor even though they just discovered it.

To Lynnette, for donut fuel and inspiration, and for putting up with the one that thinks he's the main character.

To K-10, for flashing said main character whenever he got out of wing.

To my poor, poor parents.

To Caspian Toulouse Eustace Stewie Troubles R2-D2 Tooki Tooki Monsieur Parrôt Birdface, for being the sass behind the sizzle.

To Chloe Angel, for being the best cat, manager, muse, and editor ever to exist.

To Jordan, for being an editor and surviving my ensuing death blow, and sticking by me for the hardest parts of this thing. For plotting about that crazy dream scene, for working out the kinks of the big smackdown, and for somehow giving me the ability to relate to my characters more than I ever thought I could. Yuki wouldn't have a soul without you, Shuichi would be way less of a crybaby, and Tatsuha would have remained a drooling donut.

To Jacob, for being my eternal editor, my best friend, and the other half of my brain. For being there from the very beginning of all of my stories, and for having the presence of mind to remember all the stupid little side jokes from four in the morning. I never would have finished anything without you on the other line, patiently listening to my silliness.

Everyone in my life inspired this story, helped me work through the scenes, and put up with my insane blabbering, and even if they're not mentioned, and even if they are, I have to thank them all. This wouldn't have happened without them.

Oh, yeah, and extra special awesome thanks to Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment", Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' song "Your Guardian Angel", and to the Arcade Fire's "Funeral" and "Neon Bible". They helped a whole hell of a lot with this story. There are others, I have a huge playlist that I rotate weekly for this story, but these guys are the front runners. You can thank Adam for the…special scenes, and the other two for all of the sad, sappy ones.

And now, I bid you all adieu.

-Amaya


	44. Epilouge

Epilogue

A cloaked man hurried across the desert sands, sliding through the moonlight until he reached a large opening in one of the sandstone cliffs. He walked inside, winding his way through several curved passages, stopping only once to remove his cloak and put it with some others. He stepped into a well-lit room and waved to some friends, not stopping to talk to any of them. He'd just returned from an errand, and he was anxious to get it over and one with. No one liked dealing with the new guy, but they were obligated to help him out from time to time or he might shove his green accomplice into their bedclothes. It had been hell in their secluded hideout ever since those two had arrived, and everyone was eager for them to hit the road, though no one was brave enough to face the smaller of the two.

"I got the report." the man said, approaching a cushiony chair.

"About time." another man responded silkily, not bothering to turn around.

"Listen, you arrogant prick, I worked hard for this."

"I'm sure you did."

"That's it, I'm walking."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" another voice chimed in from a hanging candelabra. "Bad idea."

"Alright, alright…" the man replied quickly, stepping away from the third party. He'd dealt with that terror before, and he had no desire to do so again. The quicker he could unload what he knew, the faster he could put distance between himself and the dastardly duo. "That Prince didn't marry the other one. Shuichi, or whatever. He turned him down, and Prince Nakano went back to settle some things in his kingdom, something like that. Pretty sure he'll be back, though, they're still friends."

"That's it?" the seated man asked, starting to get irritated.

"Don't get your feathers in a wad, there's more. Some random street rat fell out of the sky and practically proposed to the Prince, they're officially engaged now. Not sure when they're getting married, not anytime soon I think."

"What?" the man snarled, jumping out of his chair. "No, no, the council would never allow that…"

"Well that's just it, the council stepped down. They tried to stop it, but some maniac up on the walls shot something at them and they've all been terrified since. They have no idea what kind of weapon it is, they're assuming it's magic of some sort. They turned control over to Shuichi and his new fiancé, plus some old palace advisors that are still around. That's what the rumor mill is saying anyway."

"Interesting…you can leave now."

"You owe me for this! There's no way I'm not getting paid!"

"Unless you want a feathery bedfellow, you'll step away from my chair."

"Just wait, you'll get yours…" the man hissed, throwing a few inappropriate hand signs at his commissioner. He stomped off, cursing, and left the cavern, needing some air to calm down.

"That doesn't sound too good, Tohma." the owner of the third voice said alighting on Tohma's head.

"I know, Caspian, I know…I was hoping the genie would stay gone…he'll make our takeover a lot harder." Tohma said quietly, patting Caspian on the head.

"And if the street rats are in the palace again…well, you know how that went." Caspian mused, flipping onto his back and ripping out some of Tohma's platinum hairs.

"They don't worry me, not now that I have real magic…but that genie…" Tohma said, sinking back into his chair and stroking his lime green boa. "I say we carry on as planned, and deal with them when the time comes."

"That sounds like a horrible plan." Caspian interjected, yanking some hairs harder than usual to get his point across.

"I don't want to hear it bird, that's what we're doing!"

"You're hopeless! You never learn!"

"You're a parrot! Act like one!"

"You're a human! Act like one!"

"Caspian!"

"Tohma!"

Their respective yells and squeals echoed around the cavern, startling the wildlife outside and annoying the men that were trying to make a respectable thieves' den out of the place.

"Shut up already!" one of the larger men shouted, throwing a spoon in their general direction.

"You shut up!" Tohma yelled, thinking of several spells he could use. He and Caspian had agreed that he shouldn't use his magic, but sometimes it was hard to resist.

"You can take your damn spoon and shove it!" Caspian screeched, throwing the spoon back. "Don't make me come over there!"

"Shut the hell up, we're trying to sleep!"

"We're trying to plot!" Tohma responded, feeling flustered.

"That's right, you tell them…" Caspian muttered, cocking his head at an alcove. He was itching for a fight, but some of the men had an affinity for chicken, and he wasn't eager to be the new menu item.

They walked over to the alcove and stared at each other, waiting for something to happen. Caspian started to scratch himself and Tohma started to get that glint in his eye. He started to laugh, quietly at first, but the more he thought of being back in power, the louder and more out of control it became, until eventually his cackling was bouncing off of the walls.

"Great…here we go again…" Caspian said on a sigh, watching his owner with a mixture of shame and disgust.

* * *

That's right, just when you thought it was over…it's not! Well, the first one is over anyway, but The Return of Caspian hasn't even gotten started yet. We'll see what happens there, I have a lot of ideas for it, it's just a matter of sitting down and getting it out. I have to edit Aladdin WaSoG first…so…yeah…

To sum it up, Aladdin really is over, no second epilogues, nothing crazy like that, and I'll be writing the sequel at some point in the future. Caspian has resorted to ripping out the hairs on my arm in an attempt to make me sleep, so I'm out of here.

Night, and see you next time,

Amaya


End file.
